Red the Ninth
by ShiraNation
Summary: <html><head></head>AU. Nine aka Emily and her comrade Ten aka Cook  are part of an agency in the UK. After undergoing certain tasks and meeting certain people Nine begins to question who she is and if she is really the 'good guy.' PROMISES TO BE A GOOD READ. FAST UPDATES</html>
1. Chapter 1: Driving Miss Lazy

**Hello everyone, I'm back with a new experimental story… a fun adventure I suppose. AU.**

**(This came about months ago during one of my boring classes, and I decided that with a few modifications this could become another possibly successful Naomily story I could share with you.)**

**(For those of you who are pissed at me for starting another story instead of finishing the other ones, well, SORRY, I won't forget about them, I just need to keep moving between a few projects otherwise I get bored altogether. Not to mention I've wanted to share this one for a long time. Wrote it before the other two…) (Only about 12 pages worth mind you… but it's a start.)**

**Short Summary (of what I've decided so far…): Emily is an operative for an agency and at some point she is forced to question who she is and whether she's not the 'good guy' anymore… (Sorry if that's shit, don't want to give much away, not to mention I haven't given it too much thought yet.)**

**The pleasure is all mine. :) PS: if you can't figure out who Nine is, then you have to sort out your priorities. Hint. Her name sounds like Emily. Oh damn. I just gave it away. (sarcasm.) (**note on bottom, explaining why I bothered saying this.)**

Chapter One: Driving Miss Lazy

_-January first was the beginning, and I had no idea at the time what that meant, beyond the average 'it's the first day of the year' explanation. Unfortunately, I wasn't average, and neither was the explanation I was looking for. I only wish I knew sooner what I was headed for, which would possibly make the journey easier for myself. No. Nothing is ever easy. If it's easy you are doing it wrong.-_

"Open your eyes, Nine." The shades covering the window buzzed and shot up, exposing the room to the overly-bright and sunny day. The mop of red-hair on the bed remained still under the crisp white sheets, ignoring the voice. "Nine, please get up now, don't make me use the new installation Mr. Jefferson brought in for this very reason," the voice coming from the speakers was slightly louder now. There was a slight growl in response from under the sheets, but no movement that was significant enough to be considered getting up. "Alright then Nine, have it your way. Activating awakening sequence," the robotic voice had been given artificial feelings, and right now its tone was showing slight amusement at getting the opportunity to use a new gadget.

Immediately, the bed started to roll on wheels that extended from the bed posts and the red-mop looked up, drowsily surprised and nervous about where exactly the bed was taking her. "Computer, I'm up now, this isn't necessary." The plea became more urgent when she realized where the bed was about to make its final stop. "Nine, I've had enough of your morning laziness, it's time you get some proper motivation!" The robotic voice was following her as it rolled on.

"No-no-no-NO-N-!" The bed jerked to a sudden stop at the edge of its destination, flinging the red-mop out of the bed and into the pool with a cold splash. The girl got out of the pool, grumpily, in her now sopping wet pajamas and wiped away the red hair plastered to her face. "Great. Now I don't have to take a shower." She mumbled to spite the computer, but more so to keep her sense of pride.

"Time for your supplements, Nine."

The girl rolled her eyes and followed the cold white tiles back to a set of black lockers. She pulled out a towel and threw her wet clothes down a grey chute in the wall. Wrapped in only the towel, she walked through the large doorway down the wide hall and into the kitchen.

The kitchen was very modern looking, all black and white, full of gadgets that were fit to cook a five-star meal for one-hundred in a matter of seconds, with only vocal command necessary to activate it. Nine walked over to one of the black marble counters and tapped it. A screen presented itself flat on the countertop before a voice came out of a speaker installed in the counter. "What would you like today, Nine?" This voice was different from the previous one, less human-like, more robotic. "The usual," sighed Nine. A minute and a beep later the girl opened a small drawer beneath the counter to reveal two small pills which she swallowed without even a glass of water. "Delicious," she remarked sarcastically.

"The new pills in the catalog taste better. I could have them delivered by tomorrow if you are interested." The central voice could detect Nine's sarcasm. "No, I don't need it." She whispered under the hair still clinging to her face.

The slap of her wet feet followed her as she walked into a room on her left. *Click* "Lights off." The red-head was stern, "And computer, please _keep _the auto-light off in here, you know my routine involves picking my clothes in the dark." The lights obeyed and flicked themselves off. Nine reached out, her hand met by the rough texture of numerous pairs of jeans on racks. After picking one at random, she reached her other arm to the opposite side of the large walk-in closet and chose what felt like a tank-top and a sweatshirt. Anything else she needed was easily accessible in the drawer she always left half open.

"Light on." She smiled at her blind-pickings. _Not bad. _She walked further into the closet until she was close to a mirror that covered the back wall of it, much wider and taller than herself. She dropped her towel, and then glanced at herself in the mirror before slipping on her bra, army green tank top, and black hoodie with the company logo. Her knickers and dark wash jeans were next. Satisfied, she left the closet, went back through the kitchen and entered her private home office.

A lengthy table was in the middle of the room with a large black chair at the end. She took a seat and put both her hands on the table. The girl never grew tired of the semi-real shimmer of waves the table created at her touch. An image that appeared to be a scanner traced her hands before making a sound like a bell and stating her information. "Agent Nine, five feet, three inches, skins pattern three, one-hundred and two pounds, red hair, brown eyes, confirmed. Voice pattern?" "Affirmative," Nine said fluently before the machine continued. "confirmed." The table that was lifeless before her touch now had thousands of pictures flooding beneath the glass top, all moving towards her in an organized fashion, some larger than others showing importance.

One image in particular grew much larger than the others as it drew closer to her view. She tapped it when it was within reach and the person in the image started to move. "Good morning Nine." Said the old man with a thick brown mustache."Relatively," She responded looking away from him uninterested. "Okay…. Today there will be a meeting at central headquarters. Be there at ten a.m. sharp. The entire board will be attending to discuss you current unit status, understood Nine?" "

"Yes, sir."

"And Nine?"

"Hmm?"

"Drop the attitude. We may be under critical instability and shortage at the moment but that doesn't give you the right to take advantage of our patience. That will be all." *Click*

The image disappeared and was shortly replaced by another one of a boy with a cheeky smile. "Incoming call from Ten." Nine tapped the image and got ready for the daily childish banter about to start. The boy in the video chat looked cheery and gave a big kiss to the camera.

"Morning Eight!" he smirked.

"That joke wasn't funny the first time Cook." _I'll never forget the day I gave him his nickname, it was when I was so fed up with him stealing me cookies I just called him one big fat cookie, and he just sat there and smiled at me nibbling at my cookie right in front of me. Cook just sort of stuck. _Every morning he would call her by a number other than her actual one, and she would always tell him the same thing, and try to hide the smile that crept on her face every time. It was their special way of greeting each other.

"I think it's funny! Anyway, I was wondering if we could shoot around at the new range today. Perhaps around ten a.m., yeah?" He was trying hard not to laugh, blocking his face from me by running his hand through his short brown hair.

"They called about that as well I see. I think we better show up this time, the entire board is going to be there to evaluate us."

"Aww, c'mon Red," _The name he never stopped calling me since I decided to change my hair from a boring brown to a vibrant red. _"It's only a bunch of old men sitting in their fancy chairs swiveling around, mumbling all sorts of unimportant company lingo. We'll get the job regardless of our attendance, they fucking _need _us."

"Cook, I believe you and I know that ditching this meeting would be consequential to their decision. So regardless of what kind of chair they are sitting in, or what language they speak, we have to g—"

"See you at ten then!" He shouted and hung up, the video chat bubble fading away into the numerous other ones.

Nine laughed to herself then made her way out of the loft to the vehicle shaft underground. When she opened the door the lights across the room slowly lit up, revealing a room much bigger than you'd think, filled with all sorts of cars and a wall of gadgets all recently put out by QUEST87.

_QUEST87 was the most notorious gadget inventory company known both on a national and international basis. Fortunately for Nine, their home factory was in the United Kingdom, not very far from her loft and work. As a result of her current high status in the agency, she had the frequent opportunity to try out their updated items for them. In fact, she even had the rare opportunity to meet the well famous and now retired Eighty-Seven, on one visit to the factory. Eighty-Seven, previous member of the same agency as Nine, had founded the gadget company shortly after his accomplice and friend died on a mission due to failing machinery and devices in their time of need. From then on there were many laws about the precaution of new weapons that were released. Only QUEST87 met legal standards with every item they offered, always updating their items and making sure they are top-grade. Due to such high demand and amazing quality, only the best ever get an opportunity to use their better items._

"Jonah!" called Nine. A man with very curly brown hair popped out from behind one of the more expensive looking cars. "Yes, Miss Nine?" He was rubbing his eyes and turning off the flashlight attached to the large goggles he was wearing. He lifted up his goggles squinting, and reaching out a hand to shake hers. "Sorry about the bright lights, I forgot you like to work with limited light most of the time." "It's okay." He rubbed a tear from his sensitive eyes, but gave her a reassuring smile. "So Miss Nine, how would you like to get to your evaluation today?"

"I was thinking something to impress." She smiled.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but based on what I've assessed from your personality, I've never taken you as a girl interested in flaunting her goods." He blushed at his awkward phrasing, "I mean, uhm, physical stuff," he coughed nervously, "like money and your more expensive things…"

"What…?" The red-head tilted and gave him a quizzical look.

"To put it simply, when have you ever given a shit about impressing other people?" He looked away, to try and make his question seem less bold and rude. Not that she actually thought his intention was harmful, just curious. He was always gathering information and collecting what he could from observations.

"It's fine to ask JJ. It's not the board I'm trying to impress if that means anything."

"Oh. Yes!" JJ understood now with much more clarity, a mischievous smile crept up his face. "How about the X5Speed, it was just delivered and arrived last night, I was a bit too excited to leave and go to sleep, so I stayed and tinkered with it. Made some special modifications of my own I think you'll appreciate, and I'd be lying to you if I said it wouldn't impress anyone you drove past."

"Your amazing Jonah, the X5Speed sounds great."

JJ didn't hesitate to hit a button on the tool belt of his black jumpsuit. A car pulled forward, shiny black with red hubcaps on the tires, tinted windows. Very stealthy and suave looking. Nine pulled a tab on the door and watched as they lifted up three-hundred-sixty degrees, easily making more than enough room for her to climb into the low-seats. Nine loved cars that were close to the ground, they always made driving more of a thrill. Not that her daily-dose of thrill was ever absent from her life. She bid JJ a good day and thanked him before closing the car door and rising out of the underground garage onto the normal looking urban city street. The sidewalks were filled with people walking in every direction, traffic was crowding the roads, and the noise all around was loud, while lights were flashing in random places.

A bright blue sports car pulled up next to her with windows tinted so dark she couldn't see more than a dark shadow of a figure behind them, seeming to be looking in her direction. Nine leaned back into her seat and chuckled. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." The familiar voice answered through her car speakers and she instantly jerked up. "You like? It's the new transmission hacking system that came with my brand new car. Let's me hear what's going on in any car I like and talk if I want."

"That's just stupid and disturbing."

"It most definitely isn't stupid. If it was stupid then it wouldn't allow you to hear my voice perfectly clearly when I get to the office first and mock you."

'Seriously?" The red-head laughed quietly so he wouldn't hear her and know she found him funny. _He is such a child, always showing off his new toys. Then again, you aren't any better, you did opt for a flashy car just this morning._

"Seriously." The blue car next to hers revved it's engine twice as if to assure her, before speeding off.

"You need to get a life Cook."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He was screaming like an adrenaline junkie on their first roller-coaster ride. She could make out the screeching of tires in the distance and some angry people yelling in the background. "C'mon Red, I don't want you to complain I got a head start, get your ass in the competition!" He was laughing his cheeky chuckle, only lighting the fuse to my competitive fire.

Nine's foot reacted and hit the gas hard; she was very good at car chases. Speed and control were two things that she had mastered and there was no way in hell she was going to let Cook mock her all day over some stupid race. The rush of instinctive actions took over her thoughts and caused her to swerve the car into a narrow alley, her brain had already calculated it was wide enough for the car. Quick thinking was necessary. As she pulled out she nicked the side of a vendor's cart sending hotdogs and toppings all over the street. "Sorry!" she shouted, knowing it wasn't very likely he heard her, considering the speed she was going and the distance that had been put between them in a matter of seconds.

"Nice one Red, although I don't think your pretty looks are going to get you a free hot dog there anymore if he catches you as the owner of that car of yours."

She made her way through the city until she came to a special stop, where she had to open her window and swipe a special card in order to be allowed admission to a hidden tunnel. It wasn't long before she caught sight of the blue car and matched its pace driving beside it.

"Shit, how'd you do that?"

It took her a minute to realize what he was asking. She had just equaled his maximum speed in a few seconds making his car look pathetically slow.

"JJ." I smiled knowing my gadgets were in good hands.

"Fuck, gotta get me one of those."

Nine looked at her speedometer and realized she could go at least another twenty miles faster than she was. She rolled down her window and watched as Cook did the same.

"I just wanted you to see this before you meet me at the office." She flipped him off before speeding away. They laughed with each other until she had parked and waited five minutes until he pulled up next to her. "Fuck, you got me Red. Nice one."

"Yeah. Now because I won, you have to get me a coffee."

"Oh fuck. But you know the coffee maker is right near that Looney Mooney girl's office."

"Yeah. That's why I'm making _you _get it. By the way, her name is _Pandora _Moon, incase you have to remember her first name."

"Pandora, ay. That girls a nutter."

They were both walking into the underground building through the glass doors with the large emblem on them. It was a big black circle with a red, a yellow, a green, and a blue dot each in a different white circle within the larger black one. The very same picture was on Nine and Ten's sweatshirts. Ten reached over and hit the button of the lift. They both made room when a couple of other people in suits moved in. They were all going to the sixteenth floor. The red-head watched as Ten made funny faces behind the peoples backs. _He is such a little boy at heart. I should stop smiling, I'm encouraging him… _No luck. He just kept doing more and more amusing things, he only stopped when they were a floor away and people started shuffling getting ready to get out.

"Meet me in five by the meeting room with my coffee." Nine smirked at him before they turned in opposite directions after exiting the lift. The red-head followed the crowd of people who were gathering by two large brown doors, almost everyone was standing there, but her friend. She laughed to herself, knowing he'd have a couple choice words for her when he got back. Getting coffee is _always _eventful here.

**MORE WILL BE REVEALED NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. **

**(** the explanation for above: I told you it was Emily so I'd be clear, **

**AND BECAUSE ff's that tend to use other names for our beloved characters tend to piss me off. Right now, I am telling you that at some point she will be called Emily. However, I will not give you the details of how, why, when, and where. Not to mention Cook will also be more formal later on. So just chill out if that sort of thing bothers you as well.) **

**Feedback is much appreciated.**

**Still working out where I want this story to go, but it's all about the me having fun writing… so who knows…**

**I really hope you like it so far…. Other than that, thanks for reading.**

**If I'm lucky you're antsy to hear about Panda and the evaluation. :D Let me know if I am?**

**PLEASE review. THANKS.**

**-Shira**

*****Oh yeah, chapter title was a play on words of 'Driving Miss Daisy'. I think I saw that movie once… and it was cute. No connection really between my story and the actual movie. Just having a bit of fun with it. Hehe. Titles are one of my favorite parts. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Coffee and Tea

**Hello everyone!**

**GUESS WHAT. I'm exhausted and in a lot of pain...hate being sick… But I'm going to write this anyway. No long author's note, (which personally, I find annoying of me, making you read all that nonsense), but sometimes I just can't help get carried away. :) So, here you go…**

Chapter Two: Coffee and Tea

_Alright, if I just do this as quickly as possible without making any noise maybe she won't notice me. _Ten was in the hallway between Pandora's office and the lounge. _Fuck, her door is open. _He peeked inside, and was happy to see she was sitting at her desk busy with someone on the phone. He didn't hesitate to run into the lounge before she'd look up.

"Oi—" _Bollocks. Should've looked where you were going instead of watching Panda... stupid twat…_

"Sorry, Mr. Hoff" Hot coffee was splattered over the tall and heavy man standing in front of Cook. He was wiping away the liquid that had gotten in his thick brown mustache, while Cook looked for a few paper towels to hand him. Cook hid how happy he was that none of the coffee had landed on himself, he was looking spiffy today, and it would be a shame if his new jeans had been trashed.

"Now the meetings going to be late you cheeky little bas—" He grumbled but suddenly stopped, Cook watched as the man's eyes followed someone behind him.

"Good morning Mr. Hoff!" _Damn. I know that voice… Don't turn around. Maybe she won't notice you..._

"Good morning… Ten!" The blonde girl stepped between the two men and took a good look at the both of them. _There goes any chance of getting a quick coffee without being sucked in by Panda-pops… _

"Wow. You've got to be careful Mr. Hoff, that coffee is hot enough to leave a nasty burn! You probably stained that fine shirt and suit jacket of yours, must've cost you a fortune!" She gave him a look of concern, not noticing Cook trying to bite his lip to hold in the laughter. _Yeah, better watch where you're going you old bint…no thanks to this 'cheeky little bastard'…_

Mr. Hoff too bit his lip to avoid blowing up at the boy in front of him, and just muttered curses as he pushed pass the two before exiting the room with his now mostly-empty coffee cup in hand.

With the older man out of the room, Pandora now turned to give Cook her full attention. She was a quirky gal and very clueless. The only reason she was in this agency was because she was the daughter of someone managing something else important, and nobody wanted to piss her father off. Which is why Mr. Hoff held his tongue, and why Cook didn't just rudely run out at the sight of her whimsical smile.

"I haven't seen _you _around lately! It's like you've been avoiding me or something!" she laughed. _Hmm. Maybe she isn't that clueless. _Cook laughed with her so that she shouldn't actually think that was the case, almost over-doing it by holding his belly and leaning back into the chuckle."Anyways, I was hoping you could stop by for tea sometime with that silly friend of yours… Nine! She's always blabbing on about nonsense and it always gives me a good case of the giggles. I haven't had company in awhile, and you two are just a bucket of fun, a promise for a whizzer time!"

"Err, Re—" Cook cleared his throat," Nine and I have been very busy lately… lots of agency work, so I don't know if we have time to sit and chat over tea," _as fun having tea with a nutter is…, _"which reminds me, I have a very important meeting to get to, so if I can just get some co—" Cook started to move past her to get to the coffee maker and managed to grab two unused hot cups.

"A meeting! I didn't know there was a meeting today! Sounds brill!" Her eyes lit up.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _Fuck. That's because you weren't __**supposed **__to know._ He started making the coffee and while the machine was working he turned to Pandora, slightly feeling bad at having to be the one to burst her bubble of excitement. _You're the one who blew the bubble up in the first place, it's only fair if you're the one to pop it too._

"Listen, Panda, can I call you that?" She nodded happily before he continued, "The meeting is a big secret so you can't talk about it, alright?" She nodded. _Good._

"I won't tell anyone! Where and when is it? I have all of the afternoon free!" _Fuck. Scratch that last 'good'._

"Panda," He emphasized her name, hoping it would make-up for the offensive thing he was about to say, "You can't come. It's for Nine and I, that's it." _Not to mention all the officials, executives, operatives, field-experts, mission leaders, squads, and pretty much everyone else…_He turned back to the now-ready coffee and dispensed it into the two cups to avoid looking at the disappointment at the girl's face.

"Oh. Sure. You and Nine. I get it." _I don't know what gave her the impression that she was friends with Nine and I… she always wanted to get in on whatever the two of us were doing… Fuck, don't do it Cook. You'll regret it. Don't do it. DON'T DO IT._

"We'll come for tea some time okay?" _Stupid bastard. Shouldn't have done it. I'm too nice for my own good._

"That's wonderful Ten! I'm super-duper excited; I'll go check my schedule for the perfect day! Enjoy your meeting!" She skipped happily out of the lounge and back to her office.

Cook took the coffees and went back down the hallway to where the crowds of people were waiting by the two large brown doors. It was easy for him to spot the person he was looking for, just by the vibrant red hair among all the neutral colors.

"How'd it go?" Nine took her coffee from his hands and observed as he looked away from her nervously. "Alright, what did you do…?" She's known Ten long enough to know exactly what even the smallest of his movements mean, and right now they were telling her he's done something she isn't going to like.

"I promised Pandora we'd come for tea." He let out a weak smile.

"You twat." She clapped him over the side of the head. "I thought you were able to get me a simple cup of coffee without getting us into anything we'd regret." She was now crossing her arms looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I said, some time. Not definite." He gave her a small cheeky grin.

"Sorry?" She was confused.

"I didn't tell her exactly when, I just said _some time. _Could be in twenty years perhaps in a hundred." His cheeky grin was now wide and glowing.

"You are such a little boy, with your little word tricks." She sipped her coffee, hiding her laugh.

"You know you love it, Red."

The girl shifted on her legs and checked her watch.

"Where is that daft Hoff, he's supposed to be here to start the meeting…"

Cook's classic smile returned, and Red raised her eyebrow again, knowing him, he obviously had something to do with it.

"He spilled his coffee, probably cleaning up."

"_He _spilled his coffee? Or you…"

He just winked at her and turned to see the heavy man they had just been talking about coming down the hallway looking annoyed. _New shirt. Bet you keep a nice stack of them in your nice big office. Oh look, and you got yourself another coffee too. _He noticed the new cup that didn't have spill stains down the sides in his hand.

Ten was smart enough not to get in the man's way twice in one day, so he quickly shuffled behind Nine and watched as the others parted and allowed Mr. Hoff open the doors do the meeting room.

"Holy shit." Ten whispered into Nine's ears. This wasn't the ordinary conference room they went to, this one was only for extremely special and important briefings. The room was like a circular stadium that seated at least five-hundred, now quickly filling up with crowds coming from doors in each direction. The facility was huge and split into different factions, generally the different factions didn't mix, but today was irregular. In the center was a higher seating area kind of like what the supreme justice sit's on in a courtroom. However, this had seating for all of the Head Executives, about twelve in total.

Cook and Red were the last ones to go in, finding seats that weren't too close too be in the Executives eye-sight, but far enough that the two could make out what was going on clearly . They watched as Mr. Hoff took a small seat that was directly in front of the Executives specially for him. He read a few papers on the desk in front of him before standing up, looking to make sure all the H.E. (Head Executives) were there, and all the doors to the room were shut, before speaking.

"Morning, everyone." He looked around, probably to make eye-contact with Cook, to show he intentionally didn't say 'good' morning. "This conference today is to let everyone know that we will be making changes within the agency. From now on there will be an even higher level of confidentiality among us, and the briefings will be much more private, only for the H.E. and selected agents to hear. By noon, we expect everyone to have handed in their new code contract signed which will be handed out as you exit. Should you fail to do so, you will be removed from the premises with no chance of returning. We are doing this to ensure that our most classified missions will not be leaked out into the public, and to avoid moles within the agency itself, if you have any questions you may ask me and only me, because no one else will have the correct answer other than the very busy H.E.'s." He turns do the H.E.'s and they all nod before he turns back to addressing the crowd. "Please be sure to memorize all the new rules by tomorrow. That concludes this conference. Attendees dismissed."

Everyone started to quickly leave the room, while one of the H.E.'s leaned into the microphone in front of him. "All but Agent Ten and Agent Nine." Cook and Red looked to each other and started to walk down towards the center of the room as the rest of the people vanished into the hallways outside.

Nine and Ten took a seat at the two chairs that rose out of the floor from trap doors for them to sit in. They watched as sound proof walls started to unfold blocking all the exits as well as locking together into place. It was then that Ten noticed that Mr. Hoff had also had to leave the room, so now it was only him, Red, and the H.E.s. The room was completely silent until a man with black hair slicked back in an expensive suit spoke up.

"Congratulations Agents Ten and Nine. You have been specially selected for our first Level Five operation. Never before has our Agency had a mission that is as classified, dangerous, or important as this. As pressuring and scary as it may sound, we chose you because throughout your missions we have taken into account that you both work extremely well together and have done excessively well on each task we gave you. I warn you that this mission will be unlike any other we have given you. And once we tell you what it is, your choices are only to accept it or have your memories wiped. Do you understand?"

Both nodded. They did have a tinge of fear, but the adrenaline and honor of being given such a mission was enough to make them push away any irrationalism of what they were being currently told.

"Please sign the sheets beneath your seats before I continue the briefing." Red and Cook foolishly enough only skimmed through the documents without paying much attention and signed their signatures without second guessing themselves.

"Good. Now I will tell you exactly what you have to do, but under no circumstances are we going to answer your questions, certain information is best not for you to know while going through with the mission. At any point during the mission you may question the morals of your operation remember that we wouldn't ask you to do anything unless it was absolutely necessary. And the deeper you get, the less option there is for you to back out. Let me restate that, wiping your memory would not be sufficient once you are active in the field, the only way to back out would be to be terminated."

Red swallowed loudly enough for Cook to notice that she was nervous about exactly what they were getting into now. He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but under the intent stare of the H.E.s it didn't seem so appropriate for him to turn his attention away for even a second.

"When you get to your destination we will tell you step by step what you must do. Do not hesitate to follow orders or you will be terminated, if not by us, by the enemy. Be prepared to leave at seven tomorrow morning. Everything you need will be packed for you. Do not ask the people taking you any questions; do not talk to anyone unless we say so. It would be preferable if you talked to each other as little as possible. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." They shouted respectfully.

"Do you understand the terms?"

"Yes sir."

"Do you accept the active mission?"

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed."

They both stood up, nodded to the H.E.s in acknowledgement before exiting one of the unblocked exits.

"Shit, this is some deep stuff Nine."

"Think we can do it?" She looked deep in her friend's eyes for assurance. The red-head was always extremely confident but something about this operation seemed different and not knowing anything about it at all or being allowed to ask, only being allowed to rely on getting instructions was reason enough for her to worry.

"I think we can do anything." He smiled at her, hiding his own nervousness by putting on a front, and wrapping an arm around her. "Let's head out to that range I wanted to go to. It's our last normal day, let's take advantage of it, and go fucking mental!"

"Cook, we can't go fucking mental before a mission… especially one like this…"

"True. But we can still try and have a good fucking time. Relax Red, let Cookie take your worries away."

He gave her the cheeky grin giving her no choice but to submit to its manipulative powers. She wanted to trust him enough that she let herself forget about worrying at least long enough to enjoy the rest of the day. That night they had been instructed to sleep in an Agency apartment so they would be good to go right away. They both shared a bed, even though they were given a room with two. They held each other, each not wanting to admit to the other that they were in fact scared about tomorrow, just giving each other the comfort of being cuddled.

**HOPE YOU LIKED IT! :D I'm kind of excited about this story… it's going to go be AWESOME. Lotza action up ahead. Lotza mysteriousness. WOW. Got another idea. **

****Red and Cook aren't romantically involved incase you are worried…. Just making that clear. ;)**

**Please leave a review! (THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS/ALERTS/FAVS/PMs/KISSES)**

**-Shira**


	3. Chapter 3: Aces and Fatties

**Hello Everyone, I have a little bit of insight for you: I watched the movie Salt (with Angelina Jolie) and it made me make some decisions about my story, for example, I really don't want anything to be bull-shitting-ly unrealistic, like being able to jump off a bridge onto a truck landing on your fucking spine without breaking it. (LOL.) **

**And I hate cliché action type of stuff… I don't know if I'll be able to get around them, but I will do my best… I certainly want this to be more original… So if anything is cliché let me know!**

**OH. Another point, I don't know shit about guns and whatnot, so excuse me if I mistake any technicalities. (We can't all be as smart as esdiferente and her knowledge of that action-y stuff.) **

**Without further telling you all the lame things I can't do, I'll just get on with the fucking story….**

**Sound good? :) Wonderful. That concludes this message. (Beep.) **

Chapter 3: Aces and Fatties

*Ring-ring*

The red-head lifted the boy's hand from around her waist and sat up to reach the phone beside the bed. Before she even had a chance to say hello to the person on the other end of the line an unrecognizable voice started giving her instructions. Her mind was trained to quickly awake from its tired state and pay close attention to every important detail that was being told over to her.

"You're personal information will be given to you each in your carry-on bags, make sure you memorize everything on your fifteen minute trip to the airport. Your ride will be a silver Scion waiting for you at the front of the parking lot. Make sure you both sit in the back seat and say nothing loud enough for the driver to hear, nor should you speak to him. He will know where to take you, without having to ask you. Among your personal information you will also find your flight tickets and passports. When you land, you will get a call from the cell phones in your carry-on bags regarding the next step. Do not talk to anyone in the airport other than necessary persons for security. You have thirty minutes to prepare yourselves with the instructions you'll find in the closet. Understood?"

"Affirmative." Red hung up the phone. Cook was on the floor doing his morning stretches. Every morning he did a large series of push-ups and other strength building exercises. When she turned to him he had finished and gave her a smile.

"What's the plan, Red?"

"We have thirty minutes prep." Nine got up from the bed, telling him the rest of the information from the phone call while making her way to the closet with Cook right behind her. She finished and opened the closet door.

"Not too shabby." They looked at the clothes with approval. Red ran into the shower, it took her no more than two minutes to do the job. She had practiced washing herself under strict time constraints to avoid having to go on a mission with bad body odor. Cook preferred spraying himself with a toxic amount of deodorant and cologne. He was at least sincere enough to give her a heads up, so that she could avoid the cough attack from inhaling it, or getting sprayed from standing too close.

They had done so many missions together that Red didn't hesitate to get dressed in front of him. He had enough respect for her that he generally turned around instead of checking her out. Cook never made a move on Red in an inappropriate way; sure he made occasional jokes, but never took anything very far. He treated her more like a sister and she treated him as a brother.

Neither of them had grown up with family. They had been brought to the Agency when they were very young; starting training within the facility at the age of three. By the time they were six they could pick-locks, hack a household computer, speak two languages, and master any move of the martial arts lesson they practiced during their nightly classes. Outside of classes they always relied on each other for company. The Agency set up agents in doubles, friendships never growing beyond them. Which was part of the reason why Cook and Red were so uncomfortable with allowing Panda to hang out with them, it just wasn't usual protocol. Everything and everyone always stuck to protocol at the Agency, otherwise you ended up with your ass-kicked, mind-wiped, or both. Oddly enough, Red and Cook had never even questioned about anything prior to their coming to the Agency, to them, it was home, and they couldn't imagine living any other way.

Nine slipped on a pair of ripped dark jeans and a white tank top, with a grey pullover. Ten was wearing baggy black jeans he had to wear with a belt and a green t-shirt with a black hoodie. Each of them had a pair of high-end sneakers and watches.

"Civilian clothes. Brilliant. I look fuckin' ace, man." Cook was checking himself out in the mirror.

"C'mon 'Ace', we've got work to do." They both left the room, not taking anything with them.

Just as expected the silver Scion was waiting in the front of the parking lot.

"Don't say anything out loud Ten." Nine gave him an assertive look. She always double checked everything with him and made sure he understood clearly. Training and experience had taught them it was never worth blowing a mission, especially one as large and dangerous as theirs, over some stupid misunderstanding.

"Gotcha." He winked before opening the door for her. She smiled appreciatively and climbed in buckling herself and watching as her friend did the same. The driver took off without a word from either of them, bringing them both to the reality that this was actually happening. Without waiting another moment they both opened their bags taking out the information that had to quickly memorize.

_-Emma Weston -18 –Bristol, England –Cousin of Jamie Weston –Recently graduated, and going to NYC for holiday.*_

_-Jamie Weston -18 –Bristol, England –Cousin of Emma Weston –Recently graduated, and going to NYC for holiday.*_

_*Should anything come up where you are questioned, you will use your improvisation training to come up with normal civilian backgrounds, such as parents and siblings, and other civilian regularities._

Cook nudged Red and she leaned over for him to whisper in her ear.

"Gave us a shitload to memorize didn't they. This is fuckin' easy; this mission will be like kicking back and having a beer and a nice slice of cake." He let out a little chuckle.

Nine just scrunched her eyebrows, easily communicating with him just by her movements. 'This is serious, Cook. Quit fuckin' around.'

He nodded to her and looked out the window as if to say, 'if you insist.'

The ride to the airport went quickly, hardly any traffic getting in the way. Nine and Ten had taken out the things they'd need close at hand at put them in their pockets. They grabbed their carry-ons, throwing them over their shoulders before heading into the airport without saying a word to the driver, not even bothering to watch as he drove away.

They already had their tickets and had been checked in by the Agency so they made their way directly to security, approaching an old friendly looking man at a podium, stamping off tickets. They each got their official issued fake-id's and tickets ready at hand for their turn. The kind man waved them over, with a big smile.

"Ello," he took their id's and tickets and read them over before taking a good look at the both of them, "Going to the States?"

"Yes sir." Nine answered politely.

"What's of interest in the States?" He asked curiously.

"Taking holiday, heard it was a good time there." Cook's turn to say something.

He handed back their stuff nodding with a look of approval to each of them. "Have fun Emma and Jamie."

They both were happy that the line for the x-ray was going along quickly. They stripped off their shoes and put them in crates next to their bags. They were happy that the bags given to them were light and easy to move around. Nine and Ten each took their turn to pass through the machine and waited for their belongings to pass through.

*BREEP, BREEP* A small alarm went off as Ten's and Nine's bags went through.

_Shit. Neither of us really looked in our bags. What the fuck are we going to say. I don't even know what's really in it… _

Two serious men each took them to the side separately with their bags before opening them up and searching through them. Cook and Red were smart enough to get rid of their briefings incase something like this happened. Their cover would've been immediately blown had the papers been discovered. Fortunately, the thing that set off the alarm was only a water bottle in each bag. They both weren't exactly sure why the Agency would put something like that in their bags if they knew they were going to be going through the airport security and that it wasn't allowed. Nine told herself that it was the Agency just trying to tell them they need to be careful and take precautions, that the Agency won't be able to take care of everything for them, so they shouldn't rely on it, and make sure to take their own measures of security.

They both walked to the gate and looked around, studying the other civilians, figuring out who were likely going to be fellow passengers on their plane. Most of all, they were wondering exactly what was waiting for them in America. They had never not known everything about any of their previous missions, so not knowing everyone all at once was making things much more complicated.

An elderly woman took a seat beside Nine. She looked over the lady to make sure nothing was suspicious, not knowing what to expect. The woman noticed the girl and turned to her smiling, showing her missing teeth, it would probably have been scare Nine away if she were a little baby.

"You're hair is so vibrant! Kids these days are always pushing boundaries…"

"Uh, yeah." _Avoid talking to other people._

"You know what I say…"

"Uh, no…" _How the hell can I shake off this woman…_

"As long as the kids aren't doing drugs and getting in gang fights, fuck it! Go ahead and paint your hair! Get a nose piercing, it's much better than getting trashed. Don't ya think?"

Nine was a little thrown off by the elder woman spontaneously swearing, not to mention commenting on her hair. It wasn't often that they were out in a public place, open for any stranger to pick up a conversation with them.

"Um, yeah."

"FLIGHT 7B TO FRANCE WILL BE BOARDING IN ONE MINUTE."

"Oh that's me! Going to see my grandkids! They're darling but can be right boogers."

"Uhm." Nine looked helplessly trapped by this woman who seemed so persistent in talking to her.

"Well, nice meeting you dear. I'm glad you aren't a drug snorting slut." She smiled at Nine before walking away with her rolling bag tagging behind her.

"Yeah, uh, thanks?" Nine gave her a half-smile. When the lady left, Nine noticed the familiar snickering next to her.

"What the fuck are you laughing about?" she whispered to him.

"Uh, I uh, um, I dunno. Um… OWCH." She clapped up him over the head at his stupid imitation of her.

"You're so stupid…"

"I'm not the one at a loss for words." He gave her a cheeky grin.

"Touche. Now shut the fuck up. I want to relax before our flight a bit." She put took her bag from the floor and put it on the empty seat next to her. She could see a few standing people grunt rudely at the gesture, but she'd rather the distant evil-eye than being forced into another awkward conversation.

After a few minutes Cook stirred in his seat to turn to Red. "States, huh… never thought I'd be going to America…"

"What's so wrong about America?"

"I heard the chicks there are all fat."

"You're such a douche bag. Not all _'chicks' _are going to be fat…"

"Says you."

"Well who says otherwise…" Nine rolled her eyes. She knew whatever source he was about to give her was most definitely not credible.

"Some magazine…" He looked away from her.

"What magazine."

"Not telling."

"It's cause it's one of those trash one's isn't it… you know they write a bunch of lies in those things because a dumbass like you will believe it."

"Aw, you don't really think that babes, do ya?"

"No, I think you are clever, you just like to say stupid things, whether you believe them or not."

"True dat."

"Besides, we aren't going there for the 'chicks' anyway. Fat or not."

He laughed at the last remark. "Who knows? We don't have a fucking clue…"

It was most certainly true, but they both stopped the conversation there. There flight was going to be boarding very soon and they had no idea what to expect...

"FLIGHT 23C TO NEW YORK CITY BOARDING NOW AT GATE F*

They both slung their bags over their shoulders and followed a small group of people towards the gate. Nine couldn't help the nervous feeling of going to such a new place get to her. She knew she and Cook would have to make a slight adjustment to the culture they were about to be introduced to. They Americans were certainly going to be different from what they were used to, that they we positive of.

**SHORT CHAPTER. Kinda. Taking my time I guess. Hold tight, Naomi won't be showing up for a little bit. I guarantee the wait will be worthwhile. I'll see what action I can put in… this chapter was a bit more friendship fun… Mission starts next chapter… Are you readdyyyyy? Action is on the way!**

**Just by the way, I hope no one was offended by the American/fat joke… I'm American myself and it was just kind of a reference to the fact that foreigners generally associate America with obesity… nothing personal ;) **

**Hope you liked it, drop a review if you have a minute :)**

**Shout outs to:**

**Shewritesforher: CUZ YOU ARE AWESOME and an AMAZING supporter. THANKS. DOUBE THANKS. :)**

**Hyperfitched: Cuz you have me saying "Holy shit, did hyperfitched just leave a review on my story?" THANKS**

**Blacksheep24: You are just awesome. THANKS :D **


	4. Chapter 4: Information

**Hello everyone. Guess what? (JUST FIXED ALL THE LAME TYPOS, SORRY THEY WERE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.)**

**RECENT THOUGHTS: Considering Skins is a UK show, (sorry, **_**THE BEST **_**UK show…) I'm looking into increasing my British English vocabulary… I read through a good list of words and I know bits and pieces but I want to continue working on it… sorry if this pisses any of you true English citizens off :(**

**(Just little things like vest, wonky, aubergine… (I swear they say that last word in the show somewhere and I had no idea it was just eggplant D: ) **

**Btw: feel free to tell me if that's a totally stupid idea. I just have a really huge appreciation for they way you guys speak and the words they use… American English is just so boring without words like ruddy, starkers, wellies… You get the point.**

**So, now that I've said that, here is the chapter that I zoned out of class to write… (Yeah. So if I fail my finals it's on you readers!) (naw, I manipulated my way above the system ;) )**

**OH btw #2: THIS CHAPTER HAS MORE ACTION! Erm, hope you aren't scared off as it gets pretty violent pretty quick… don't think our little Cook and Ems are little angels… because if that's what you think this chapter will have you gobsmacked. (yeah. I said gobsmacked. ;) hehe) **

**WARNING: DISTURBING SCENE TOWARDS THE END. SKIP IT if you don't want to be disturbed? Otherwise enjoy….**

Chapter 4: Information

The jumbo plane was rather large although there weren't many more than around one-hundred people boarding. They took two seats in the back of the aircraft, Nine sitting next to the window.

"The plane is deserted… bet you there are some empty seats in first class." Cook wiggled his eyebrows together.

"_Jamie," _they were in public now so they had to completely assume their fake identities, which meant being careful to call each other by the new names, "we are supposed to keep a low profile… just sit down."

"Oh c'mon, it's no problem, _Em, _be right back!" Before she could object further he sauntered up the aisle through the class divisional curtains in front. Nine tried to get comfortable in the small seat waiting for her friend, doubtful that he'd be successful.

A couple of minutes later he was pacing back with a large grin and grabbing his bag from the seat he was no longer going to occupy. "I swear if every American fancies a British accent and some of the err, _Jamie _Monster charm getting things done in style is going to be easy," He took Red's bag in his other arm and started going to their new spot, with Red rolling her eyes behind him. She followed him to the much classier area with large leather seating and plenty of space for their feet and bags. Still, Red never just gave in to Cook so she hid any happiness she was actually feeling about not having to spend the long flight in a cramped space. Before she sat down she quickly observed the other people in the same class, only eleven she counted.

Cook dramatically took his seat and sighed as if he was sitting in the most comfortable chair ever created on the planet we call Earth. He hit a button on the arm of the chair and bounced a little at the sudden massage digging into him, enjoying the feel of it. "Oh yeah, this is the life…" He closed his eyes and basked in the newfound relaxation.

Red slapped him over the head, not too hard, causing him to open his eyes and let out a small laugh. she never liked to lose an argument. He knew he was rubbing it in her face; she hated losing arguments. And the current one was whether or not first class was worth the nagging he did, which really hadn't been nagging at all to the lovely lady he manipulated. "You know you love it." He muttered to Red before closing his eyes again, smiling while putting in a pair of earbuds from the ipod he had in his pocket.

Nine was now analyzing the other people nearby, paying closer attention to detail. Overall she established that none seemed to be a threat or a reason to believe there'd be any problems in the near future. Unlike Cook, she decided against listening to music, it wasn't easy for her to let her guard down, and not being able to hear the idle chat around her would only make her more nervous. She figured perhaps someone might say something regarding her mission and if they did, she didn't want to miss it because her favorite song was playing… even if it wasn't likely any of the conversations would be useful to her.

The flight attendant stood at the front of their compartment and gave the standard full speech, including emergency procedures and the passenger rules. In the mean time, the plane took off steadily taking us higher into the sky.

For three hours Nine managed to do nothing but stay alert without getting bored, just listening to the sounds around her. into the fourth hour, she looked to Cook for some entertainment, watching as he mouthed the words to his songs, eyes still closed. For awhile she just played a game of trying to guess what song he was mouthing, without him catching on that she was watching. After about ten songs, Cook opened one of his eyes to look around and saw Red observing him, particularly his lips, making her blush a little. (Even though he knew she wasn't doing it for the normal reasons he'd assume she was doing it if it had been anyone other than Red.) He smiled for a second before shutting his eye again and shaking his head hard back and forth and mouthing the words with an extreme energy. He started switching between playing air guitar and pretending to hit drums like a crazy metal-head. He certainly was doing a good job putting on an amusing show for his friend.

She covered her mouth to avoid the inevitable chuckles he was getting from her. After the song was through he opened his eyes and saw the flight attendant standing beside Red, and pulled one of the earbuds out, smiling up at her now. Nine followed his eyes to the person standing next to her and saw the flight attendant with a loaded trolley.

"Can I get you anything?" She smiled at Cook, overlooking the girl in front of her rolling her eyes at his obvious charm at work.

"Sure you can Wendy." _He knows her name, must be the girl he charmed to get us into first class... _"How about some of those peanuts there, a hot cup of coffee, and a red-bull for my little red-headed cousin over here." Normally she would hit him for calling her little but for the sake of being civilized she held the swing back, smiling up at the attendant to take her drink.

"Of course. Here you go." _I swear she winked at him. Fuck sake. _Wendy handed over his stuff leaning over me and batting her eyelids before dropping the 'cutesy' act and moving onto the next passenger with the regular cranky flight attendant greeting you'd get if you weren't as lovely as the 'charm master' sitting next to me.

"You are such a…"

"Wonder-worker, I know." _I was going to say prat… but whatever. _At least he wasn't too caught up in his act that he forgot to order her something. (Not that she was incapable of ordering for herself; he just loved to be the talker when a woman was involved…) He munched on his peanuts allowing Red to steal a few. The girl cracked open the red-bull he ordered for her and took a look at the can itself before drinking it. It wasn't often that they had civilian food. The Agency had a strict diet for the agents to keep fit and to be able to save time to avoid wasting it sitting at tables for big meals or cooking them. Nine was very thirsty and took a large sip of it, which was a big mistake. She regretted it immediately, hardly managing to actually swallow it. The grimacing look she was giving the can gave Cook a good laugh.

"Don't like it?" He was most amused at how she was clacking her tongue to the roof of her mouth to get rid of the bad taste.

"Tastes like shit… it's like pure fucking liquid sugar…"

"It's an energy drink, supposed to be like that to give you that little boost of caffeine, of course!"

"I like my caffeine in my morning pills, not in a shit-tasting drink."

"Suit yourself." He chugged the rest of his coffee then downed my red-bull in one shot, wiping his mouth with his arm, not seeming to mind the foul taste of it. _Perhaps it's just me, not used to regular food and drink. Then again, that tasted really, really horrible…_

"Pig."

"More like a thirsty wolf." He let out a burp then a small howl. Nine was well aware that if they weren't in the presence of other people his howling would have been much louder and more passionate. Ever since they were little he pretended to be the wolf and she would pretend to be a lioness. However, Red while had grown out of the childlike pretending, Cook still embraced it with pride, bringing out his animalistic side whenever she said anything about acting like he belonged in a zoo.

Her friend turned on the personal TV in front of them and played the movie, 'Salt'. Red just gave him a look, 'really? A secret spy movie…?'

He shrugged, "Angelina Jolie's hot."

She had sat through most of the movie when Ishe just couldn't take it anymore.

"This is so fucking unrealistic… jumping off a bridge and landing on your fucking back would leave you with a nasty bruise or a cracked spine, and she just gets up and jumps to the next one like a child landing on a fluffy mattress after jumping about. Ridiculous."

Ten leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Chillax babes, you and I know what the real stuff is like, this is just for a good laugh…" It was true, they both had been through a shitload of harder things and never came out unscathed. That was part of the job. If it was too easy, you were doing it wrong and odds are you were going to eventually get hurt worse than if it were going the hard way. She remembered that in fact they had trained to jump onto, run around, jump into, and dive under (the worst and hardest to do), fast moving vehicles. Cook ended up with a broken arm, and she had two sprained ankles. _What a load of bollocks._

*BZZZT*

The vibrating sound of the phone in her bag stopped her from thinking any further frustrating thoughts about the movie. Ten too was back into professional mode, watching as she pulled out the phone, making sure nobody was paying them any special and unusual attention. The mobile phone was made to be useful during flight, not interfering with radio frequencies, connecting through satellites. She flipped it open to see it was a text message from an unknown number and location. Still she knew that it had definitely come from the Agency.

_-Seat D, Row 2 is a man in business attire. Once you land, you're job is to get him to the room mapped out in the following picture, within the airport, without anybody noticing. Should someone see you doing anything unusual or get suspicious of you, the mission will be failed. Find a way to get him in there without reason for him to be suspicious of your intentions. He should know you are agents if you aren't careful. Once inside the room, secure him to a chair with the items in your bag. Do not say anything to him other than what will be sent for you to be said once you arrive, in text format. Delete this message."_

Ten read it over after Nine before casually going to the bathroom to check the guy out as he passed his row. He had an olive complexion and looked lanky, his shaggy black hair hanging over his face. _Shouldn't be a challenge physically. _

The rest of the flight the two operatives were silent, completely driven by their task, although still seemingly acting normally. Once the plane landed they grabbed their bags and followed him as he exited the terminal. There was no suspicion arising for following him because the entire crowd of people was making their way toward the same baggage claim.

Had the trip actually been for pleasure, the two would have enjoyed taking in all the new culture differences of the States, they had never visited before. But everything was strictly business. Nine and Ten were completely different when they had a mission to do. None of the jokes, just straight down to work, getting the job down without any mistakes, in an expert fashion.

They still carried on their roles as the simple cousins Emma and Jamie, dragging their feet on the floor as they walked, slouching a little, looking much like the average lazy teenagers on vacation. It wasn't until the baggage claim was in sight that they sped up so they were walking directly next to the man they were going to have to snatch.

Nine went in front of the man now and stopped, causing the man to have to stop as well.

"Excuse me." He mumbled. By the sound of his voice and look of him he didn't seem to be much older than them. Likely around twenty or nineteen. They never took a second to question what the Agency wanted with him. It was natural for them to push those human thoughts aside, hold any interfering emotion behind and never thinking on it again, only following orders and doing exactly what they spent the majority of their young lives being trained to do.

"Excuse me." The man mumbled before trying to walk around her.

Nine gently took his hand which seemed to take him by surprise. "Can you help me with something?" She did a fine job presenting herself as an adorable, self-assertive, young lady.

"Why don't you ask security or something…" He tried to walk away again, but she held his hand tighter.

"My little step-sister said something on the plane about the way you looked like her biological father; she just wants to meet you for a second…" Nine pointed to the door where she _intended_, no, where she was going to have him, in only a minute or so.

Cook had already gone into the room and was preparing himself, waiting to grab the man and cover his mouth once she got him inside and noticed it was a lie.

"Look, _I_ know you aren't her dad, but _she's_ been looking for him for months, it would just make it a hell of a lot easier if you could just tell My little Krissy yourself so she doesn't have to spend a month stalking you to try and see if you really are him…even if _I _don't want her to..."

The man finally relented and allowed himself to be pulled into the room. The second the door closed behind him he knew it was a dodgy trap. He was about to try and open the door and get out when two strong hands shoved him into a chair, while two other small hands taped his mouth firmly shut. Once they were sure he wasn't able to make any loud noise, they taped him very well to the chair. There would be no escaping.

*BZZZT* Just as expected. Nine grabbed the phone, while Ten kept a watchful eye on the prisoner who was showing sheer panic in his eyes.

_-Find out his information and who he works for. Make sure the door is locked, we sound-proofed the walls. There is a bat under the desk. Use any means necessary to make him confess. What you've learned will tell you if he's lying. Trust your instincts. Next objective will be given once your first one is completed.-_

Nine took a look around the room, it was completely empty aside from the desk, themselves, their bags, and sure enough, the bat. She picked it up and tossed it to her partner. In this type of situation it was best if she did the talking and he did the pressuring. He could play the scary part very well, and would follow through with it without a second thought.

Nine took a few steps closer to the helpless man sitting in the center of the room. She ripped the tape off his mouth and gave an evil smile. He screamed for help for a minute before realizing that there was no point. They obviously wouldn't have untaped his mouth if he could be heard by anyone out the door

"What's your name?" Nine's voice was hard enough to give anyone the chills.

"Jeremy Tre-FUCK!" Ten lifted the bat into the air as soon as he started to talk and smashed the guy's foot. No fucking mercy now. Never show mercy.

The man started to sob and was trying desperately to do anything to ease the pain in his foot. He bit his lip hard to try and distract himself, but he was going to have to talk.

"It's Freddie, n-no, it's Frederick McClair." _He's not lying._

"Who do you work for?"

"Please don't hurt me!" He cried. Ten lifted the bat again before Freddie even finished the sentence and smashed the other foot. Neither of the agents felt bad when he let out a painful moan and pissed his pants.

"Answer the question." Nine lifted his drooping head so he would look into her feirce eyes, trying to scare him.

"I c-can't. They'll kill me." He whispered, his lip was bleeding from biting it so hard. He was scared of her, scared of Ten, but not scared enough.

In order to move on with the interrogation, their task now, was to make him more afraid of not-talking than talking. Ten dropped the bat, and Freddie sighed relief thinking that meant it was all over, that he might be able to come out of this alive. But that was wrong, Nine knew that Ten could punch harder than any bat, he was incredibly strong and always getting stronger. She didn't even wince as she saw her partner's hand smash into the guys face and gut over and over. The force was crushing everything that it slammed into, coming harder and harder.

The guy's head now was leaning on his chest, his breathing now wheezing. Blood was dripping down his face, the bruises already forming in dark colors through his skin. It was obvious he was in extreme pain. Ten delivered one last blow to Freddie's arm that must've broken it. Nine could see the bones actually vibrate within the guy's body immediately upon contact. Ten didn't even flinch at the impact his hand had just made with the solid bones now shattered.

"Na-Naomi Campbell. The co-company is he-hers-s. It-it is call-lled lo-love an-and p-p-peace. Love and Peace…p-please…" He cried, coughing up blood into his own lap, unable to move. His heavy breathing was making his body shake, and each shake was sending a wave of pain over him.

_*BZZZT*_

_-Information extracted. Objective complete. Next Objective: Terminate him._

Ten reached down to the ground picking up the bat again, pushing up his sleeves. From the way he was looking down, Freddie watched as the bat was lifted, just barely managed to follow it as it was being raised above his head.

"P-please. P-please do-don't. I'll tell y-you anyth-th-" Not another word.

They felt nothing. No pride. No fear. No shame. No remorse. No satisfaction.

**POWERFUL SHIT HUH.**

**Okay, so I did feel horrible killing Freddie. (Yes I did it with a bat on purpose… you know… cuz the show… yeah.) But I think that was a really powerful scene. I think I got my er, point across. If you haven't figured out the point yet, it's okay to start making guesses. :)**

**If you didn't realize, this story isn't going to be a pretty one. If it disturbs you, you may just want to kindly fuck off. **

**I actually have a purpose to this story, and when I get to the end you'll be like 'WOAH.' **

**I do know how it's going to end, still working on how it gets there. But, it's going to be epic… so stay tuned. :)**

**Sincerely Shira.**

**Thanks for the support, leave a review. Thoughts on the plane ride? Red-bull? (lol. I hate that shit…) Thoughts on the last devil of a scene? **

**(-Sigh, how the fuck could Cook and Ems go from so sweet and kind to so dark and terrifying? All will be revealed…) Fucked up though. Really fucked up.**


	5. Chapter 5: Shit Happens

**#1 Oh hello! You've decided to continue reading this story? How especially kind of you! :D Glad I didn't scare you off… As a reward I'll let you get straight to the chapter alright? Right, then. Off you go. Don't let me distract you, SHOO.**

**#2 (Turns out it's been hours since I wrote that message up above… I am staring at the computer screen trying to think of how I'm going to draw out this story and top my last chapter… And my brain is completely blank.)**

**(FIXED ALL THE SHITTY TYPOS THAT I COULD FIND... made a few minor changes. SHOULD BE BETTER NOW)**

**WARNING: reference to dark and depressing stuff ahead…more killing… INTENSE SHIT. ;)**

Chapter 5: Shit Happens

*BZZZT*

_-Desert the body, exit through the door you entered. There will be a person holding a card with your surnames to take you to the next check point at baggage claim.-_

Neither of them bothered to take a second look at the bloody body lying limp in the chair. They slipped out the door careful to make sure no one saw in as they opened and closed it behind them. The Agency would sort out the mess, the two operatives had more important things to tend do.

They had their bags slung over their shoulders and they were walking quickly, but doing nothing out of the ordinary that would bring any extra attention to them. There were always people rushing in the airport so really it was just the norm. It only took them a minute to spot the sign. 'Weston.' They approached the guy that held it up, studying him as they came closer.

This boy had a few similarities to the one they had just taken 'care of'. He had a Middle Eastern complexion, dark hair, and was pretty tall. He was smoking a spliff and didn't seem to be too excited about standing there waiting for them. "Are you the Westons?"

Nine and Ten nodded to him.

"I'm Anwar, you're joy trip this morning…." Anwar looked to see they only had backpacks… "No heavy luggage you need to get?" He spent a lot of time in airports, and it wasn't often that people packed light these days, always needing at least triple the amount that was necessary.

"No. Just take us to your taxi."

"British people. Swell." Anwar recognized their accent; it reminded him of his own old accent, the one that had faded after spending years around the American culture. He had come to the States to make something of himself and instead he ended up being a fucking taxi driver, like his dad, in the busy phenomenon of New York City. The pay was shit, and it didn't take long for him to find out that he was just another Muslim boy to the Americans, often getting slurred at in angry anti-terrorist rants. He never responded, just shook his head; there wasn't much point in saying anything back. He knew himself well enough to know he wasn't really a raging bomb psycho maniac… in fact when one of his dear friends who happened to be gay hung himself, he kind of gave up on religion abruptly altogether. He tried to forget how he had told his friend that his religion didn't allow him to be friends with the guy anymore because of his sexuality, which also happened to be the last thing he got the chance to say to him. For a long time he had nightmares about it… now he was just a soul-less cab driver.

"This is it. Please don't leave any shit in it." Anwar had to nightly clean out his cab because people were always leaving food wrappers and other random shit carelessly for him to find later on. He just told himself it was worth it to ask it of all his passengers to have some decency anyway, maybe it would save him from a nasty mess one day… who knows.

Cook and Red slid in the back-seat. Taking in all the movement around them, they weren't even in the city yet. They were only at the JFK airport and the crowd was still all hustle and bustle.

"Where to?" Anwar met Cook's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Know any posh hotels in the city?"

"I know one." Anwar stopped looking into the mirror.

"Alright." Cook took him seriously. They both knew the driver was trying to make a crack that there are tons of hotels in N.Y.C., but neither of them gave a shit enough to say anything or even laugh.

"You know there are shitloads, right?"

"Yeah, man. Just fucking take us to one, kay?"

"Sure, sure." They both knew the driver's tone was dripping with resentment for his job. Still, they didn't give much of a shit. They just took the time in the cab to relax into their seats for awhile. The adrenaline from the last objective was starting to cool down, bringing them back to their normal selves. About twenty minutes later they were sitting in bumper to bumper traffic.

Red could hear the muttering voice of the Muslim boy. _"Allah if you make this fucking traffic go away I'll come back." _Thirty minutes later, and only a few blocks closer to the city, _"C'mon… Just let us move a little bit, I swear I'll be a good little boy…fucking hell."_ He honked as people started to walk in front of his taxi, preventing him from moving a few feet closer to the taxi in front of them. _"Fucking New York residents, not giving a shit about the people who have to live in a fucking car waiting for them to get their bloody arses to the other side on a green light."_

It was that last time he cursed that Cook and Red realized that he must have been from the UK at some point or another. There was a hint of East End in his pronunciation. Cook had interest in asking the boy who came from the same country as him about his story, but fact was, he was on a mission, and mingling was best if kept to a minimum unless it was specifically called for.

"Here we are at the finest of them all, the Trump International Hotel, that'll be sixty-sixty two for the ride and a shitload for the stay. _American cash only." _Anwar was definitely skeptical these couple of teenagers would be able to afford the swankiest hotel, but they wanted a fine hotel so he brought them to the finest one he knew.

Cook reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, already stocked with a fair amount of American money. He handed Anwar seventy and told him to keep the change. Usually this would be taken as a kind gesture, but for Cook it was more about not wanting to wait to get his change back so he could get out of the car faster.

Nine and Ten grabbed their bags and got out of the cab and headed into the five-star hotel. They analyzed the place; it was definitely not another shabby little inn they usually stayed at when on duty. The red-head walked through the lobby directly to a preppy looking white bloke typing at a computer behind a high desk. She read his golden name tag, _'Chris.' _

"Hello, _Chris, _I'd like to make a booking for two."

"A _reservation_? What kind of room would you like? And what will be the duration of your stay?"

_Another brit? How the fuck did this place get so loaded with them? First Freddie, then Anwar, and now this Chris bloke…You'd think we were still in the U.K. they way we keep casually finding them. _Nine suppressed a laugh.

Cook stepped in front of his partner, "We'll _book_ the best of the best, and we'll be paying nightly, not sure how long we intend to stay."

Chris took a moment looking them up and down, judging them by their street attire. "How old are you lot?"

"What's that matter to you?" He didn't want to give out more information than necessary.

"Because in _America_, when you want to _reserve_ 'the best of the best', you have to be twenty-one or older…"

"Listen, I throw in a hefty tip if you just let us make this _booking._"

"Years ago I may have been enough of a _tosser_ to accept that wager, but I have an _American _code of ethics now and don't play that way…"

Chris remembered the day he nearly died due to overdosing, which was even more fragile than the regular case because he had a serious medical condition to worsen the effects. He had come to the states to get away from the easy access he had to drugs and to try and get better advice from _American _doctors on his condition. Unfortunately, he was poor, all his money was spent on the drugs he used to overdose in the past, so he couldn't get the medical help he wanted, let alone buy a ticket back to his hometown. Chris couldn't help himself when he felt resentment for the rich as well as the brits that he came across. Ironically, he came across many of both by working at one of the most expensive hotels in one of the largest culturally diverse places there is.

The red-headed girl took her turn to be the voice of persuasion.

"Tell you what, I'll just give that chap over there the tip, maybe he won't feel the same spontaneous resentment you do." She winked at Chris before starting to go to the guy at the next desk.

"Wait. I'll do it. It better be worthwhile…" The feelings of resentment turned into that of submissiveness, perhaps this was going to be his only chance to make enough money to either go back home or get a good doctor…

"Sure thing." Cook gave his cheeky grin. The red-head never failed to get what she wanted; she could tell by the barely there dirty smell and the low self-esteem that this guy was probably low on money and offering more would be a deal breaker. In addition, tt always helped knowing one of the most effective rules of persuasion: Human nature is to take a beneficial deal, even if they didn't want to originally, when they are aware that they are not necessarily needed and the beneficial deal can go just as easily to someone else.

So with a newly adjusted attitude Chris asked, "Would you like single or double bedroom?"

"Double." Red and Cook didn't need separate beds, but the having the option was nice.

"Lucky for you, the best we have is available on short-term notice, so will it be the Two Bedroom Park View Suite?"

"Yes."

"Please note the entire property is non-smoking. We have the Jean Gorges restaurant exclusive to our guests, a 55-foot heated pool, a six-thousand foot fitness center complete with personal trainers, extensive spa treatments, personal shopping service, maids twice daily, busin—"

"It's alright no need to explain, here's the credit card. And here's five-hundred in cash for you mate." Cook slid the stuff over the counter.

"I need some kind of I.D., make sure you aren't getting the most expensive room on the lot on someone else's charge." Cook didn't hesitate for a second, sliding over his passport. The identities matched up perfectly.

"Alright enjoy your stay… Mr. Weston, if there's anything else you need, let me know. Your room is on the seventeenth floor… it's got a brilliant view…"

Red interrupted his standard customer speech, "Chris, could you do me a favour, make sure we don't get interrupted by any of those maids during our stay?" She casually slipped another five-hundred over the desk.

"Absolutely. Do you need anyone to take your bags up?"

"Nope, we're fine. Goodbye Chris." Nine and Ten were already walking away.

"Have a nice day Mr. Weston, and Ms., um...?" Chris wasn't even looking at them, he was busy counting the large tip now in his possession.

"Bye." They were into the lift before he could ask her what her name was.

"Floor, sir?" They turned to see a man on their right, standing in a special uniform with white gloves.

"Seventeen."

He pushed the button for them and put his hands together, standing there silently as the elevator went up.

"This place is really high-class." Cook mumbled.

"You better not turn into some spiffing cock-head."

The button-man coughed a little at the sudden cursing of the female. It wasn't too often that the people in this hotel spoke in such street slang. It was only for the highest class, but he looked away trying not to pass any judgment or make them feel uncomfortable.

Cook chuckled at the reaction and followed his friend through the open doors of the lift. They reached their room and he was excited to see the expensive grandeur that was waiting for them behind the sturdy door.

"Holy shit."

"Close your gob Cook, if we are going to be staying in a high-class place we better start acting like we belong in it." They dropped their bags to the floor.

*BZZZT* It was Cook's phone that buzzed this time. He reached into his pocket flipping it open.

_-Treating yourselves are you? Then be prepared for all work no play. An agent will be up shortly to talk business with you about your next objective.-_

"Oh, so now they want to talk to us in person…."

*KNOCK* One knock was enough for them to hear. They stopped exploring the room for all the special features; it was a huge loft, definitely easily fitting the both of them. Their curious eyes and minds and went back to professional mode, answering the door.

They were a little baffled at the appearance of the agent. He had an immense amount of curly hair surrounding his pimpled face. A little young looking but his well-fitted suit and tie aged him a few years for his benefit. He held out the hand that wasn't holding a briefcase towards Ten.

"I am Eight. Here to assist you on your next objective." Another Brit, however, it was expected this time, because all people within the Agency were British.

"Ten." Strong hand met clammy one in a firm shake.

Ten opened the door wider to allow him in, and introduced his partner. "Nine."

Nine nodded to the new fellow in acknowledgement showing small signs of disinterest.

Eight brushed past them and made himself comfortable taking a seat on the leather couch beyond the large foyer. He placed the black briefcase on his lap opening it to reveal a slim laptop. "Down to business. I recommend each of you take a seat on either side of me to get the most optimal view of what I have to show you."

They did as instructed, watching as the boy went through a large number of advanced access codes. Nine and Ten were extremely good at hacking but what the boy was doing and the speed he was doing it was way beyond them.

"Designed it myself." He showed a hint of pride at his profound work. Cook rose his eyebrows in an attempt to show he was impressed. Fact was, this job wasn't about flattering a technician it was always just business.

A few minutes later the home-screen opened up to a classified Agency database specifically created for their private mission. Eight pulled up a few maps of a specific building.

"This is the central headquarters of the underground organization Love and Peace. You're job is going to be to infiltrate it, terminate everyone within the building, burn all documents, and to come out with one specific hostage, Naomi Campbell."

Nine analyzed the picture carefully suddenly feeling something deep in her stomach. "Excuse me, I have to use the ladies." She left them and went to the fancy bathroom. She sat on the toilet for five-minutes trying to relieve herself but nothing happened. _Odd, that's never happened before. _She washed her hands and wiped them dry on a soft hanging towel. The feeling didn't go away but she chose to ignore it, and returned to the boys on the sofa.

"What can you tell us about the organization?" she asked.

"The Agency decided that it's better for the active agents to know as little information about the details as possible. So, I myself do not know, and in fact, they have prohibited us from looking into it. Not that I have any interest in going against protocol. " This was unusual, but neither did Nine or Ten have any urge to go against their instructors. It wasn't often the Agency suggested their don't ask, don't tell policy, keeping everything extremely under wrap.

*KNOCK-KNOCK*

Nine and Ten shot up from the couch in their defensive stances, but Eight walked to the door unconcerned. He opened the door and took the four huge black duffel bags from the cart the bell-boy had brought up. Eight generously tipped him then shut the door. "Your supplies," he motioned to the bags with his hands.

They opened the bags finding a fair share of weaponry. All the guns were small, compact, and had silencers attached to them. Ten picked up a box opening it to reveal three very cushioned pairs of tinted red sunglasses. He nodded in approval and put them on, not surprised that everything he saw was now in the shade of red. He didn't question why they had to wear them, but he noticed that they completely covered all of his vision range, including peripheral.

They equipped themselves with the gear, making sure everything was concealed. They had on baggy sweatshirts and trousers so as not to be able to recognize any of the items hugging their bodies in disguise once they'd be out in the open. One of the duffel bags had stuff that they didn't need and ended up just leaving alone. Once finished, Ten turned to Eight with a few more questions.

"How is their security?"

"I will be able to monitor it from my computer but it should be very low. They aren't expecting the kind of threat we are posing."

*BZZZZT*

Eight opened the mobile.

_-Change of plans, there will be another objective inserted prior to the infiltration. A riot is scheduled to take place in Time Square at eight p.m. Ten and Nine will discreetly place bombs along the planned protest area. Bombs should be powerful enough to make sure the attack is fatal. Make sure you are well clear of the area when you hit the detonator. Wear your tinted glasses. Do not observe the protestors with special attention. Once the bomb has been set off complete the infiltration task. The fourth duffel bag has items needed to make the bombs. Delete this message.-_

Eight told over their new job and wasted no time helping them prepare the fatal bombs that were going to have a catastrophic effect. There was going to be no problem being discreet. Nine and Ten climbed into the sewer system from a distance and walked through it to the target mark. There were only a few other people who had the unfortunate coincidence of witnessing them, only to end up being swept away in the murky waters, never to see the daylight beyond the sewers again.

They were able to successfully place the bombs along the top of the route they had taken which would end up exploding beneath the very feet of the rioters. It was going to be a well executed surprise and it was definite none of the protesters would ever return home after the eventful evening. Ten and Nine emerged a few hours later from where they had entered, Eight waiting for them in his car nearby. The curly-haired operative gave them each a change of clothes and they returned to the hotel.

The threesome sat and waited watching a camera that Eight had installed in the planned attack point and set it up so that it's feed would show up on their hotel room's large TV. They sat their waiting, making sure that nothing was going to end up interfering with the overall result or cause anything to happen prior to the planned schedule. They wore their glasses watching the red-tinted screen as people started holding up banners and signs that said 'L&P' all over them. Never paying too much attention to what was written on them as the Agency had directed.

*BZZZT*

_-It's time.-_

Ten didn't hesitate to hit the detonator. They turned off the TV after they saw the initial explosion. Every bomb had gone off at the same time to avoid giving any of the protestors the chance to escape. Once again there were no emotions or after-thoughts for what they had just done. They just stood up and went out of the room down the lift to Eight's car. He drove them to the organization headquarters and they prepared to complete the next objective.

Ten and Nine didn't waste a minute to enter the building. There was no one protecting the entrance, so she had no problem making sure the entrance was chained shut. Eight was going to cover all the other possible exits while they continued doing what they were there for. They walked through a hallway until they met a middle-aged woman at a desk. There were a few people sitting on scattered couches reading magazines completely unaware that their fellow protesters had just been blown up.

"What can I do for you?" The woman had a very sweet voice, but it didn't mean anything to them.

Nine's eyes glanced at the name tag, _'Gina Campbell.' _She looked into the woman's eyes that were tinted a light pink, her hair too was a very light shade. _Likely related to the package, but still not Naomi. _Nine turned to Ten and gave him a nod. At the same time they pulled out their guns, and shot everyone in the room. Her first hit went straight through the woman's heart. All the bullets were kill-shots. They moved so quickly there wasn't even a scream, just the soft thuds of the woman falling face first onto the desk and the others head's hitting the walls as their bodies fell backwards. Ten had even managed to catch the falling body's of someone who had been standing and laid it gently on the floor to avoid it making a loud noise.

They checked the room to make sure everything was covered before they pulled out jugs of lighter fluid which they dispensed liberally around the room, making sure to get any files that were in the secretaries desk. They moved on to the next room, identifying that none of them were the hostage and then shooting them all, and covering everything with the lighter fluid. They had done so in at least twenty different rooms, killing over fifty people. Not one of them realized what hit them before they died.

Ten noticed there wasn't a single security camera in the building, so there was no way for anyone on the next floor to have any idea of what had just happened. They climbed the steps in silence, adrenaline flowing at full throttle, getting ready to kill the next batch of people. The room they walked into was a lounge, with another secretary and a few people lying about. All the faces turned to them and then to the weapons in their hands. Still, they were all dead before any of the victims had the opputunity to draw another breath.

Ten and Nine's eyes saw two the black office doors that their hostage was going to be behind. They each split up going in opposite directions to take care of the people in the other rooms before going about the biggest part of the task. They finished quickly and met together before the doors. Ten was going to go in and snatch the girl and Nine was going to cover the place with fluid. They tucked away their guns and walked into her office.

Ten wasted no time walking right up to the girl who was sitting at a desk dealing with papers who only looked up a second before her face was covered with a thick and tight black mask. It was meant for the job, no holes cut out for the eyes, but not woven tight enough to suffocate the package. It only took him a second to restrain her limbs and throw her over his shoulder. Nine paid them no attention, doing her part and making sure everything was well soaked. She threw all the files and books onto the floor to make sure they would be no chance of them surviving in the desks and cabinets.

The hostage was trying to give Ten a hard time, but she was no match for his strength. They exited the office and went down the stairs, leaving the only exit that Eight had left unlocked. Muffled screams and shouts were crying out through the fabric, but not long. Nine batted the girl's had with the back of her gun to keep her silent. She was likely going to be unconscious for awhile. Nine and Ten re-entered the building leaving Eight with the girl in his car.

The two agents were going to have to make sure everything lit rapidly so the fire department wouldn't have time to put it out before everything caught fire beyond recovery. They set up a few of the extra bombs in strategically distanced places so that all parts of the building would implode.

In another twelve minutes they had done the job, and the building was completely on fire while they were driving away, back to the hotel. The only thing about the building Nine had noticed was that the different shaded stripes of red were everywhere. They weren't really red but she was curious what color what they actually were, not making any effort to take of the glasses she had orders to wear. She already knew the hostage's eyes were blue and her hair was bleach blonde like the picture Eight had shown on the computer.

The shoved the still unconscious woman into a duffel bag which Ten had no difficulty bringing upstairs. There was no suspicion in the action as they entered the lift and went to their room. Nine and Ten noticed that the people in the lobby were watching the news that was covering the protesting incident, all clearly shaken and feeling horror. Eight had been standing obliviously to it, just following them into the lift. Still, Ten and Nine felt no emotion whatsoever. No horror. No concern. No thrill. No anger. Nothing.

**WOW. Lots of dead people…. It will all make sense soon though. Needless to say, I think I topped my last chapter. Maybe a bit tooooo much. Hehe.**

**The title was a bit of an understatement I suppose, gave me a small laugh though. No, I'm not a morbid soul who takes pleasure in killing people, that's just the way this story goes, yeah? **

**I introduced/referenced to quite a few characters in this chapter: Anwar, Maxxie, Chris, and Gina! Hope you liked it… (Wasn't fun killing Gina btw. Had to happen though. Maxxie too.)**

**HMMM… what else is there to tell you… OH, did you figure anything out about the whole stripes? It's kind of important... at least it's a big clue to something. I mean, why would that have to wear red-tinted glasses or not pay attention to the signs? ;)**

**No idea what's going to happen next… so tune in next time if I haven't pissed you off enough yet. :)**

**Jeez, I'm making it really hard for myself to top the previous chapters… although, I'm almost positive there won't be as much death as there was in this one, if there is any… (not to make you nervous or anything, now that they have Naomi… ;) ) Evil. That's really evil of me to say that to you, make you all scared... LOL. Too bad.**

**-Shira**

**SHOUT OUTS:**

**Hyperfitched- AAAAAGH THANKS FOR PUTTING ME ON YOUR ALERT! :) **

**Shewritesforher- Aww, if you think you're morbid, guess how the writer feels? NAW. It's all for a good action story, and I'm glad you like it. THANKS.**

**Blacksheep24-glad you appreciate my false british-ness, anddddd HELL YEAH IT'S INTENSE. **


	6. Chapter 6: Colored Stripes

**This is my second attempt at writing this chapter, I wasn't satisfied with the other one so I think I'm completely changing it. (If you are interested in reading the original one let me know, perhaps it was better, I don't know…) It wasn't leading to the place I wanted it to… (Actually, now that I've written most of this chapter, WOW they are different…)**

**Serious stuff, I suppose. (In case I never mentioned it, I do not own Skins, never have, and unlikely I ever will. Although if I become a billionaire, I will buy the show, and make it all about our favorite characters. No, better, I'll higher Lily and Kathryn and just make a Naomily show of it's own.) :)**

Chapter 6: Colored Stripes

Eight had left the two other agents once they got to their hotel room. His part of the mission was completed, the Agency intended for him to return after the infiltration, so that is exactly what he did. Ten opened up the duffel case and hoisted the unconscious body over his shoulder before easing it down into a large leather chair. Normally the hostage wouldn't be treated to such comfortable seating, but they had ordered the nicest hotel room, so cheap furniture wasn't available for the time being. He did a few tests he had been taught to make sure the walls were absolutely sound proof, as well as turning up the TV for extra precaution.

Another fact of human nature: people generally rationalized for things they didn't want to believe. So if someone heard screaming through the walls, they would try and brush it off assuming the neighbors were listening to a horror movie. Sad, but more often than not, true.

Nine on the other hand was roping the hostage's limbs together, feet together, arms together, and feet attached to arms by a separate chord. The used a special wiring chord for binding hostages, rope was never for professional jobs; too easy to pick at, cut through, and never got tight enough. The chord was a much better guarantee that the captive wouldn't escape their binds. Fire wouldn't even burn through it like rope; it would just get hot enough to burn the skin it was encasing.

After using the chord, she used a few rolls of heavy-duty duck tape, making sure it wouldn't allow the girl to move more than half a centimeter. She pressed it so that it stuck to any of the girl's exposed skin. That way the girl would be less likely to struggle against it, there was only so much burn from tape a person could handle. That is, unless there life was at stake, then they wouldn't mind the burn, but that is why she used more than one tape roll. It was amazing the strength an adrenaline kick could provide, Nine never took chances if they were avoidable.

Once they were sure everything was properly taken care of, Nine and Ten sat down on the couch leaning back. They were relaxed because at the moment they had no further orders or direction. Just to keep an eye on the hostage until they got their next text. Cook and Red were watching the news channel that was playing on the TV behind the captive. It was a little frustrating having to watch it through the red-tinted glasses but they weren't going to disobey the commands given to them.

A reporter started discussing a topic more than familiar to them.

"_I'm standing as close as I can get to Times Square, currently off limits to all the public. Just a few hours ago a catastrophic bombing killed over one-hundred people. Hurting countless amounts of friends and families who are shortly going to be holding a ceremony a few blocks away to remember their loved ones. Not even everyone is aware of what has happened yet, but the news is spreading quickly, nationally and internationally."_

It cuts to a woman in a studio with a cup of coffee sitting in front of her.

"_Can you tell us what those people were doing there?"_

It flicks back to the man in the city.

"_Apparently today was a set up demonstration for the homosexual-rights community. Famous organization Love and Peace had sent some of their top representatives to discuss the issues they are currently trying to resolve and we are greatly saddened that no one will get to hear the speech they intended to deliver during the demonstration."_

A new reporter is on screen approaching a police man trying to keep people away from a large fire that firefighters are working hard to put out.

"_Excuse me officer, do you believe the bombing set off was an act of hate towards the trans, bi, and homosexual community or just a coincidence intended to cause civil disruption amongst the general public?"_

The officer was very distraught and was trying to shove back some more aggressive civilians trying to get closer to the fire. Probably looking for relatives who Nine and Ten were more than sure were dead and in ashes now.

"_What kind of fucking question is that?" He spat._

He started walking away to work on another group getting closer. The reporter tried to go to a different officer who looked to be a higher ranking official, watching the fire still ablaze among all the commotion and panic.

"_Officer, do you think there is a connection between the attack in Time Square where Love and Peace organization members were legally demonstrating as well as the burning down of their central headquarters on the same day?" _

"_I can't disclose that, but we currently have a more-than standard amount of officers investigating the attacks. I can assure you, the New York police force are doing their best and are definitely taking the security precautions to a much higher level to make the city safe."_

"_Are you saying New York isn't safe?"_

"_No, New York is going to be one of the safest places to be." He was obviously trying to dodge the question._

"_But is it safe now?" The reporter held the microphone close to his mouth, the camera zooming in on him, not wanting to miss the shattering statement they were expecting._

"_The United States of America is sending out special experts and more security than it would need if the entire country were under a nuclear attack. We are doing our best to make an understanding of what happened and what went wrong in our defense. Although it was clear that Love and Peace didn't have the proper security means within their own building."_

"_Are you saying it was their fault someone killed them?"_

"_Yes and no. Will you stop fucking with my words! Jeezus, we are doing the best we can at the moment."_

"_What if you're best isn't good enough?" She asked, dramatically changing her voice. Boy was this reporter something._

"_Then America's just a disaster waiting to happen isn't it? I have business to attend to, if you'll excuse me." The officer clearly extremely upset over the exchange turned around and started talking to a different group of officers nodding their heads aggressively at him._

_The camera turned to the reporter holding the microphone up to herself, looking straight at the camera._

"_There you have it America. New York is no longer safe and by the judgments of this officer neither is the rest of the United States. I'd get your passports together if I were you. Tune in later when we'll be talking to some of the families after the memorial ceremony taking place close to Times Square._

The screen started showing pictures of the fire when it was bigger and the streets after the bombing.

"Cook, I don't think we were supposed to watch that."

"We weren't." He started peeling off his glasses and looked at his partner. They couldn't comprehend what they were feeling right now. Something changed in them, and they didn't know what. They had already broken one rule so it didn't hurt to break another. Red took off her glasses as well and blinked trying to take in all the new color of the room.

"I don't understand."

"Me neither."

*BZZZT* They both jumped at the sudden sound of the mobile phone vibrating against the glass of the coffee table. Nine picked it up immediately, desperately wanting some direction to take away the thoughts that were going through her mind, anything to rid herself of the emotions she was feelings that she was positive were the first time she had felt them in her life.

_-Well done. Kill the hostage. Do not speak to it before doing so. Just terminate it.-_

Nine put down the phone which Ten picked up and read after she had done so. She walked over to the hostage and pulled off the black fabric. She smacked the unconscious face hard, leaving a hand-shaped red mark on the pale skin. Two blue eyes starting squinting trying to take in her surroundings.

Brown eyes met blue in a hard intense gaze. Neither could read the emotions the other one was hiding behind them. The girl with red hair suddenly clutched her stomach hard and ran to the bathroom. _What is this feeling? _She tried relieving herself again, but it was no use, the feeling stayed. The red-head squeezed her eyes shut tight and tried to make it go away, but all she saw were two ice blue eyes staring into her through darkness.

*KNOCK*

Nine opened the door to see Ten standing there with concern for her. He knew something was unusual too, he always could tell what his partner was feeling, but even he couldn't analyze the emotion that was flooding through her. The thing she was mistaking for a bowel movement, the thing that was eating her alive and couldn't figure out. She looked up into her partners eyes trying to find an answer. No use. One of the only feelings she could place was loneliness. Cook wasn't feeling what she was; she was the only one feeling _it _and that was making her lonely_. _It was frustrating to feel like you know everything and then instantly know nothing anymore. All he could do was squeeze her shoulders and try and emit some comfort to her with his hands.

"Cook, I don't understand."

"Me, neither. Maybe it'll just go away after a bit."

"No, not… not that. Why would we have to kill everyone there and then kill her separately? They could've just had us let her die in the building with everyone else."

"I don't know." He shrugged. His eyebrows scrunched together deep in thought, without any luck.

"I _want _to know."

"But we aren't supposed to ask it questions. Just terminate it."

"I can't. Something's 'off'."

Neither of them had struggled killing anyone, most of the time it was Ten who did that part, but that was just because it was easier with him being bigger and scarier, not because of either of their personal preferences. It was a job and that was all there was to it.

"You want me to do it?" As unusual as it was, Ten was willing to accept anything from Red, even if it wasn't what he expected.

"Not yet."

They walked back into the room where the hostage had her head leaned back on the top of the chair staring at the ceiling, she was tall, and easily was a few inches higher than the back of it. Nine noticed that Ten must've turned off the TV before he went to check on her, so no light was shed on her regarding what had happened in the past couple of hours.

When the hostage realized she wasn't the only one in the room she looked to see the agents who had joined her. Nine took a seat on a chair next to her, leaning forward, in her direction. Ten took a seat on the long couch, his hands mindlessly playing with a gun, not intended to frighten her. He usually did meaningless things with his hands when he was trying to think; more often than not it involved playing with a weapon.

Nine couldn't contain what she placed as curiosity.

"Why aren't you screaming for help?" They always did that. Every single time. This was the first one who didn't scream the second she woke up.

"Because you obviously would've taped my mouth if noise was a concern." _Clever._

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Nine was trying to look away from the hard gaze she was getting.

"Because I feel like I know you." Naomi displayed confidence and fear at the same time.

"You can't know me. Nobody knows me. Not even Ten here, knows me." She looked to Ten who nodded in agreement.

"But I just do." She whispered.

"You know we have to terminate you."

"The fuck does that mean, 'terminate', this isn't some kind of game. I'm a human, you both are humans too. You are disgusting humans, but I believe there is reason for it. However, to say you are going to 'terminate' me is cowardly. You are either going to kill me or let me live."

"We have to kill you." Nine mumbled, more to herself than to the hostage.

" Secondly, you don't have to do anything. It's a fucking choice. You're human, you're fucking human, not some kind of robot that someone built. Humans can do whatever the fuck they want, always in control of themselves in one way or another, I may be stuck in this chair, but my mind definitely isn't submissive. You have fucking emotions. Humans have emotions, and if you kill me you are going to feel guilt and remorse the rest of your fucking life." Naomi's voice was growing more hostile, her body was getting riled up, stirring against the restraints.

It was Ten who whispered to himself now, "We've already killed people, never hesitating."

"Who? Who did you kill? WHO DID YOU FUCKING KILL?" Naomi was raging.

"We've only ever known the name of two of them, it was never important, probably never will be, _to us_." Red answered honestly.

"WHO?" Naomi had tears streaming down her face.

"Freddie McClair and Gina Campbell." Cook whispered shakily. Those were the only one's whose names they saw or were told.

Nine recognized the emotion in his voice, the very same emotion she was feeling in herself. Guilt. Remorse. Both feelings turned rapidly into anger. Naomi needed to stop asking questions, they were the ones in control not her. Nine ripped away some of the tape causing the hostage to cry out in pain. The fabric of her t-shirt slightly ripped was now showing. The red-head took a handful of it and tightly pulled the blonde as close to her as the tape would allow.

"Your shirt, what does it mean?" Nine was remembering the stripes from the building, they were everywhere. Only they had been different shades of red in the building. Without the glasses they made a colorful rainbow. The shirt too had the same colorful stripes all along the front.

"W-w-what?" the hostage was completely taken aback. Nine's hand that wasn't holding her, crashed against the face wet with tears.

"What is the significance of it?"

Naomi looked down at her shirt, watching herself trembling beneath the fabric and the hand that was holding her tight in place.

"G-gay pride." Naomi sputtered out. Nine let go of her, grabbed a gun from the table and hit the hostage over the head with it. Naomi's head fell to her own chest, blood trickling from the hit down her cheek. Nine winced almost feeling the force of the blow she had delivered as if she had just done it to her own head.

"I need silence." She whispered, dropping the gun in her hand and falling into Cook's arms.

"You're right Red, something is 'off', about _us._"

"_Gay."_ Repeated Emily so silently, she had only mouthed it.

Anger. Guilt. Confusion. Remorse. Sadness. Despair.

**BOOM. BAM. Topped the last one! POW! I think I did at least. ;) **

**Soooo, (looks down on floor nervously kicking feet,) what did you think? (shy smile)**

**KAPOW. I'm having a good time topping myself, and I can't wait to hear what your opinions are.**

**(Just a note, that last time I said Emily, on purpose. why do you think?) Any guesses where the hell this story is going to go next? Lay it on me ;)**

**Sincerely, Shira (the girl who just loves to write big sounds after eventful chapters. LOL)**


	7. Chapter 7: Bark vs Bite

**Holy crap, just watched the episode of Bedlam with Lily Loveless, I swear I can't look at her any other way than as Naomi… She just plays every role so brilliantly and brings her own personality with each one… I can't help it… AAAAGH. She's amazing. Anyway, the reason I even mentioned that was because it was incredibly demented and I loved it. I wish I could write up a story like that, but that would be copyright. LOL. OH MY HOLY SHITNESSS. And brilliance just hit me like a lightening bolt, someone should write a crossover of Bedlam and Skins, that way we can have more Naomi brilliance. Wow. That would be the most fucking epic thing ever. SOMEONE DO IT PLEASEEEEE!**

**Now that I'm done ranting…. Here's me having a go at making a twist in the story, which was probably expected… although I'd like to pretend it wasn't. (another update, quick as promised)**

**(PS, I may have gotten a bit carried away with the f-bomb. LOL. More anger that way. Though. Better. So if you don't like it… you know what to do. ;) )**

Chapter 7: Bark vs. Bite

_*BZZZZT*_ Red carefully climbed out of Cook's arms and reached toward the phone. She wasn't sure what to think anymore. There was no telling whether they were doing the right or the wrong thing. Their humanity had been screwed with so much that they didn't feel comfortable just trusting themselves.

Everything was screaming at Red to ignore the phone, but she couldn't drop her loyalty that easily just because she was feeling a little insecure for the first time in all her years in the business. More than anything she was hoping that the phone would make all the problems go away. The Agency would just tell them it was a big misunderstanding and the mission would be over and they could go back to doing their jobs as professionals, no hesitation, no feelings getting in the way. She slowly reached for the phone and crawled back into Cook's arms before opening it. She made sure he would be able to read it over her shoulder when she opened it.

She felt a squeeze around her, trying to coerce her into doing what they had to do. Red complied biting her lip.

_-You shouldn't have done that. Now we have to terminate you.-_

"No, no, no no-no-n-NO!" Red leaped out of her partner's arms dropping the phone to the floor. She looked to him for some kind of response. "Say something." She whispered, staring deep into his eyes, looking for the comforting communication she could always find there.

"All we've ever known was the Agency and now we don't even know them anymore. What the hell am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know just fucking say something! Tell me it's a fucking joke! Tell me everything will be alright!" Her voice cracked at the last plea.

"I've never lied to you." Cook sounded like a lost puppy in the rain, searching for some kind of shelter. Problem was, Red was feeling just as helpless and scared as he was. They both knew what the Agency was capable of; they had been trained not to hesitate when dealing with serious matters, why should anyone else feel any differently if the predators had become the prey. Sure they had years of loyalty to flaunt in the Agency's face, but who gave a shit, business was business. They were beginning to feel like small accessories to the operation they had been devoted to their entire lives, now worn out and ready to be replaced by the next best agents in line.

Cook's eyes turned to the body in the chair that had been made subconscious earlier by Red's fury. "We know you're awake, you can stop faking."

Naomi lifted her head and stopped pretending to be still knocked out. A small blush crept up her neck even though she shouldn't feel any embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping when she was a fucking hostage and they were the monsters keeping her tied up. Something deep inside her was telling her to feel bad for them, a sort of pity. She couldn't help but want to take the puppies into her arms and show them love and protect them. But then her thoughts flashed back to the one who used to protect her, her mother was now dead, and it was these people's fault. Pity turned to anger.

"What the fuck are you two fussing about?"

"They are going to terminate us."

"Good. You both deserve to fucking die."

Emily was taken aback. Her stomach was in knots and she felt like the air had been sucked out of her. _How the fuck is she doing this to me? She hasn't even touched me. I don't know her. I know nothing about her._

Cook stood up and got in the hostage's face. "You know you're just as fucking dead as we are." It was his turn to hide panic behind anger.

Naomi went pale as all the oxygen in her blood drained for a second. She kept trying to forget that as much as she hated these people, as much as she wanted them to die, ultimately, they were the ones that were in control of her fate. She quickly changed her motives and disposition towards the two who were pacing back and forth rapidly.

"Stop fucking pacing and sit the fuck down."

Cook looked to Red, who had already listened to Naomi, so he did the same.

"Who is going to terminate you?"

"The Agency." They both answered at the same time.

"Who the fuck is the Agency?"

"It's…it's the place we work for."

"Fine well who's in charge of the fucking psychotic establishment?"

"Mr…. Uhm…" _Holy shit. We don't even fucking know. We've been there our entire lives as we know it, and we don't even know very much about it. _

"Great. You don't even know who… well how about I make a deal with you."

"You're the fucking hostage, what makes you think we want your deals? Need your deals?" Cook didn't like dealing with other people's tempers. If he wasn't in control he would fight for it, only ever submissive to Red, without so little as a whine.

"Because as you said before, right now you are as dead as I _should_ be. Now do you want the fucking deal or not?"_ Damn she's determined. _Cook looked to Red; he would do anything she chose and stand by her decision one hundred percent.

"What's the deal?"

"You don't kill me, obviously, and I'll help you not get err, terminated." She seemed very convincing, and Nine was sure that there was really no other option than to take this deal, if things got beyond her liking, she wasn't the one taped to a chair and could easily make her dominance known. She checked with Cook, but his eyes said it all, 'I'm with you Red.'

"Deal," Red nodded.

"You two are fucking professionals, you kill with no hesitation as you keep saying, and you show no signs of fear except for when one of you notices the other struggling. Which, as I've noticed, tends to spur the other on even more and come back all the more fierce. Honestly, with the things you do, I think the Agency should be fucking afraid of _you, _not the other way around_. _Just by the way you do things I can tell you put a lot of thought into it, your thought processes come quick as instinct, probably from some sort of training, I assume. Take that fucking knowledge of yours and use it to fight back. Be brave you fucking cowards."

Nine and Ten looked much less frightened of the Agency now. They couldn't defy logic, never could. And everything Naomi said to them made complete sense. They were selected for the mission because they were the best, if the Agency was going to turn on them, they were making a big mistake because that just meant the two monsters they created were being set loose right back in the direction of home. As much as her little speech gave them confidence Cook was a little pissed.

"I thought you had a little more to offer than words. More like a physical means of protection."

"Words can do a lot."

"Not as much as fists."

"Whoever had you kill the representatives planning on delivering the speeches in the Square were obviously afraid of the words that were going to be said to the public. Words are more powerful than fists. Sure maybe a fist can shut someone up really quickly, but it's the words floating in your head telling you to punch that person. In a sense the person's words have control over you if they get a reaction out of you. Those speeches were going to be so powerful that some insane maniac had to react before the cause had even had the chance to be exposed. So don't fucking talk to me about words. You keep shoving your fist up peoples asses, and I'll keep giving mu little speeches to pick up cowards like you when they need it."

Cook stormed out of the room in fury. He had nothing to say to this girl. Once more, it's too hard for an agent to fight with logic, and everything she just said was all too true for him to handle. Naomi just turned her gaze from the boy running away to the red-head still sitting on the couch, shocked by what had just been thrown in her face. Sure she understood, but no one had ever spoken to her like that.

"Now fucking untie me." The blonde wiggled in her confinements.

"We said we wouldn't kill you, not untie you." Nine watched as the blonde rolled her eyes, very frustrated.

"Fucking hell." Naomi blew a piece of hair of her face and pouted.

"SHIT!" Ten came storming back into the room, Nine immediately stood up more alert and ready for what he was about to say. "FUCK. THEY ARE HERE. We've got to go. NOW."

The two agents started picking up their weapons and placing them inside their clothes and getting all their gear on. Naomi strained her neck to try and look behind her and watch what they were doing.

"Well fucking untie me now if they are bloody coming!"

Red was holding a large duffel bag of equipment with the hotel room door open. Ten quickly paced over to the blonde and ripped off the rest of the tape before hoisting her over his shoulder again. The chords around her limbs were making it harder and a lot less comfortable for her.

"You could just untie me and I could walk instead of this degrading bullshit." She mumbled, wiggling to try and get comfortable making it harder for Cook to hold her.

"Stop moving or I'll fucking drop ya." He grabbed another duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder before following Red out the door.

Red quickly pulled out a roll of tape from her back and ripped off a piece before Naomi could start screaming and object and covered the blonde's mouth. Nine was following Cook down the hall, and Naomi raised her head so she could see the agent, they met eyes, and all the blue one's were saying was, 'I fucking hate you.'

Nine smirked and said, "I wouldn't cover you mouth if I could trust you to be quiet. Really your safer with us than on your own. You'll find that out real soon though." Naomi rolled her eyes and let her head slump back down over Cook's shoulder. It took a lot of energy to fight the gravity and she knew she might be needing that energy later to save her life.

Cook turned around checking the hallways as he backed into the emergency staircase door, mindless of Naomi's upper half banging against it as he pushed. She let out a slight muffled sound of annoyance that sounded like, 'I'm fucking here.' Any further sounds she made were lost in the fast sequence of pattering as the pair made their way down the steps. The blonde admired their pace, thinking she would never be fit enough to take seventeen flights of stairs in only a few minutes.

They stopped by an emergency door with an alarm trigger should it be opened. Red took the back of her gun and smashed a hole in the wall right by the door, sticking her hand inside and ripped a few select chords. Seconds later they were rushing outside through the car park. The eyes of the agent's were scanning every direction, knowing it was likely they were being tracked as they made their journey across the road and into an alley.

At the end of the alley was the back of an empty white van with opened doors. _What the fuck?_

Naomi's lifted her head and her muffled cry started screaming out at what was behind the agent's who had only just a minute looked behind them, failing to notice the door on the side of the alley opening.

*ZZZZZZZT* *ZZZZZZT* *ZZZZZT*

**There you have it, a lovely chapter. What did you think of Naomi's speech. Personally I didn't think she would be a very nice hostage, so I was amused when I made her very verbally aggressive. And Cook getting mental at Naomi… I dunno, I had fun with it. ;) (Of course Naomi is the smarts vs. physical type.. and Cook would side with physical anyway.) Staying true to character as always.**

**Take a guess at what's going to happen? Share a review? **

**THANKS alert/fav/reviews ppl!**

**-Shira**


	8. Chapter 8: Darkness

**TWO UPDATES TODAY! WOAH. I should ditch school more often yeah? No, I hate colds. I'd rather have the flu…**

**Are you ready to be brain-blasted? Because this chapter is the big fucking reveal. It gets a little interesting, but I think that you'll enjoy it. I had a good time fitting it in with the actual TV show, so without making you wait… here you go. This is my best chapter yet.**

**WARNING: it's kinda sad really. Slightly disturbing.**

Chapter 8: Darkness

Red opened her eyes; her body was tired and aching. She could feel a tingling between her shoulders, only the kind of feeling you get from being violently electrocuted by a tazer.

She remembered watching as the blue eyes went wide in front of her and Cook nearly dropped the thrashing body they belonged to. Despite his newly tightened grip on Naomi, Red watched as they both came tumbling onto the ground, all his limbs buckling beneath him. She too felt herself crashing downwards into the pavement, her body twitching as she lost all sense of control.

_I know this place. _She looked around the room, stark empty aside from the chair she was chained to. Her eyes flicked to the metal door across from her as it started to rustle.

A man walked in, gently closing the door behind him. Nine watched as he unfolded the metal chair he was carrying and took a seat a foot away from the chair she was stuck to. It was difficult for her to see him, the way her chair was reclining and the way her muscles were failing to obey her as she attempted to lift her neck.

"Recognize me?" The man pushed his glasses up his nose then rested his hands on his knees, leaning back into the metal chair, observing her.

Nine desperately wanted to say yes, she tried opening her mouth but her body still hadn't recovered from the shock. It was no lie that she recognized him; she just had no recollection from when or where, or even who he actually was. The same thing was with Naomi, she knew that she had known her at some point, there was a familiarity, but everything else was behind a thick fog.

"Still can't talk, eh? The stupid bastard set the voltage too high. You're friend Cook, is probably even worse than you. He goes mental when he loses control that one, they had to tazer him a few extra times to completely knock him out and get him to give up the fight. May have been a little much, but the rule is, _never take chances._"

Nine was now positive he was from the Agency; never taking chances was one of the rules that were repeated over and over. It confirmed her theories that it was definitely the Agency who had caught them and had her chained to a chair. Sure she had reason to believe they were going to be caught by them beforehand, but it was only now that the realization had struck her. She so badly wanted to ask where Cook was but it came out as a mess of gibberish and a little bit of drool.

"Relax Emily, it's not like you haven't been here before."

Two facts of that statement were enough to scare her and assure her fears; the fog was starting to fade away because of this man in front of her. And she wasn't sure if she was actually ready for it to do so. But she couldn't deny that yes, her name was really Emily, and yes, she had been here before.

She watched as the man pulled out a golden ring on a chain necklace, he held it up in front of her face so she could get a closer look at it.

"You _wanted _to come here remember? You came here to _forget." _

All her thoughts immediately flooded to Naomi. She started thrashing about in the chair against the chains, squeezing her eyes shut as the memories painfully started returning to her.

…

…

_It was January first. The day everything began and ended as well. We had already returned to our final year at college. I had spent my summer away from Naomi, and all I could do when I came back was imagine how I'd be spending the next one with her. I convinced her to let us go traveling together; possibly take a gap year before university. That was all until she lied to me. No, it was until she did the very thing she lied to me about. _

_The book. I flipped through the pages. The girl's brother left after I dropped it down the side of the building and watched as it hit the ground, barely visible from how high up we were. I so badly wished that the thud it made as it reached the surface would pull me out of my nightmare. I was all too aware that this was reality; that everything I was scared of was actually happening to me. I stood at the ledge contemplating how badly I wanted to wake up._

"_You've ruined it. You don't want anyone to care. Could be dead in a second. Everything's… so… fragile… Didn't you realize that? We were special." How could she do this to me? How could she have slept with that girl, Sophia. How could she do that when she knows I love her? How could she do that when we both know that she really loves me?_

_Those blue eyes could always show how strong her emotions were. The way they were flooding with tears was just angering me even more, making everything worse. It would hurt so much less if I knew she didn't love me back. _

_I looked back down over the ledge I was standing on. I immediately jumped off of the ledge back onto the roof. I wasn't going to kill myself. No, no, not like this. Not like that bitch. I wasn't Sophia and I wasn't going to jump away from life that easily. Especially not on top of the same building. Inside or outside, didn't matter._

"_I was scared! Emily, Please!" _

_I brushed past her, not daring to look back. I told her to be brave not so long ago, I just wish she never came back if she was still scared. I could've waited a little longer until she was ready; it didn't have to end like this._

"_You're always scared." _

_She made no attempt to follow me, thankfully. I felt the air rushing past my ears as my feet started picking up their pace. Running down the steps of the club and back into the outdoors, onto the ground now. I needed to stop hearing her shouting after me, I needed the sounds of her cries and begging to fade away. I knew I was weak, I wanted so badly for everything to be alright that if I had stayed up there any longer I may have been too tempted to crawl back into her arms and tell her I forgive her without doing myself justice. You think you hate injustice Naomi? Fuck you. You've done an injustice to me and to yourself._

_I looked around to see where I had run to; I wasn't actually paying attention to where I was going when I was moving. It was more about creating distance than finding the perfect destination. The street had hardly any traffic; the buildings on the road were tall and commercial. I found a bench nearby and cried all the tears that were held in while I was running. I cried until my body was shaking so hard that I moved myself gently to the ground before I accidently fell onto it. My face was buried in my knees trying to disappear in the darkness, make all the thoughts go away._

"_Excuse me, are you alright?" A man was standing very close to me, I hadn't heard him walking I had been crying so loudly, lost entirely in myself. Lifting my head, I squinted my eyes trying to adjust to the light, not that there was much left, the sun was beginning to set._

_I wiped away my tears with the palm of my hand, feeling my cheeks that were red and probably swollen, before taking in the man's appearance. He only looked a few years older than me in his slick black suit and beanie with his unruly curly hair attempting to poke through. He was looking down at me and had to push his glasses back up to keep them from sliding down._

"_I'm fine." I mumbled only clear enough for him to take the hint. This guy was a stranger, and I wasn't about to tell him my life story right then and there, he probably was just looking for a girl off on her luck needing some boy to pick it back up with a decent shagging. _

_I sighed, annoyed when he took my answer as a signal for him to sit on the bench near me and start a conversation. I just wanted to be alone. Perhaps brutal honesty will be enough to make him go away._

"_My girlfriend who recently told me she loves me, cheated on me, and tried to cover it up."_

_His eyes went hard and angry when he heard me say girlfriend. I often got that reaction from people, and could easily detect it, let alone expect that response. I was not in the mood for bullshit._

"_Are you a fucking homophobe? 'Mister-I'm-so-nice-I-help-strangers-with-their-fucking-problems-for-no-charge?"_

_His expression quickly changed to soft and sympathy that Emily was too upset to realize was actually faked._

"_My names Sid. I __**had **__a friend who was gay." He held out his hand, which she embarrassedly shook it. By the way he said 'had' she assumed that he was intending his friend killed himself, likely because of the very fact that he was gay. _

"_I just wish I could forget, y'know?" Emily accepted this new person as a listener and stared out into the street in thought, speaking her mind._

"_I could help you forget."_

_Emily's head shot back towards him so fast, she almost got whiplash, "I'm not interested in letting you get into my pants. Fuck sake." That was one of the lamest pickup lines she had ever heard. Guys were always using it, suggesting that a shag would cure your broken heart or even your sexuality._

"_No, you misunderstood me; I have the technology to make you forget what you don't want to remember." What a psycho._

"_You're mad, Sid."_

"_No, I'm a technology expert and I make people forget what they want for a living. It's rational to be scared though, most people are scared to forget because that means losing control of something so very much apart of you."_

_**Naomi's scared. Not me.**_

"_I'm not scared."_

"_Right then, here's my number, give it a ring when you're ready." Sid pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her before walking away. Emily watch him until he disappeared before staring at the card and reading it's information over and over then finally leaving to go to somewhere else she had in mind._

…

…

Emily's chest was rising and falling rapidly, her eyes opened and she turned her gaze to the man sitting close to her. She looked at his suit, his glasses, his beanie, there was a small amount of curly hair peeking through. _Sid. _Her body suddenly jerked in against the chains and her head started pounding. She couldn't remember what happened next in her chain of memories. She was still scared. Everything was crashing down on her, her reality. Everything she knew was lies. She hadn't actually been at the Agency since she was little. She can't remember any of the things she thought she did in the past. The earliest thing she could remember was waking up in an apartment one day, the day that she was given the special mission. She screamed out in pain, she felt like her brain wanted to escape her skull. Her eyes quickly flashed to the dangling chain in his hand that was resting on his leg again. _That's Naomi's. Fuck! Where's Naomi? Where's Cook? _

She screamed again, her head was feeling so conflicted she didn't know what to trust. _Is the Agency real or not? Were the day's events all imagined? _She was terribly frightened at some of the later thoughts. _Have I actually killed anyone? Am I crazy? Have I lost all control? _Another piercing shriek erupted from her throat, causing Sid to wince and cover his ears. He pulled out a small case from inside his suit jacket. Emily was watching his movements as much as she could, but her vision was blurry and her head was thumping so loud. Her eyes slammed shut as another volt of pain shook her. The next thing she felt was a needle poking through one of her arm's that was braced too tightly to try and pull away. With one last jerk she felt it slide out and everything quickly turned to darkness. She wasn't even sure if her eyes were open or closed when everything disappeared. She heard shouts invading her ears, too loud and close for her liking. _HELP! HELP! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP! _It only took her a few minutes to realize the unfamiliar voice was her own.

**DISTURBING EH? I like this chapter, a lot is revealed and a lot more will start making sense soon.**

**And Sid? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Who'da thunk it would be him! Don't think I just randomly chose him, there is a very well thought out reason which you will come to understand shortly.**

**I hope you enjoyed the thrill of that one as much as I did. Sorry Ems didn't want it to be so bad. Had to happen, as usual… ;(**

**-Shira**


	9. Chapter 9: How

**Just a few things, one I could really use some reviews, just a word would help, at least tell me that it isn't shit because, this story isn't exactly the normal fanfiction tale and I'm a bit self-conscious. I really don't mind that lot of people haven't taken to it, it's more about me enjoying writing it, but still it would just be very nice, and I'd be over-thankful.**

**Secondly, I'm extremely tired and sick of being sick, not that that help anything or makes it go away sooner. So, I'm really sorry if this chapter is rubbish, I'm not in my right mind right now and just needed something to do.**

**This chapter is a little shit I think, I was going to explain what happened with the 'training' in the 'Agency' but I really didn't like it, so I took that out probably to leave to for explanation later in the story. It just wasn't living up to my expectations, so forgive me for withholding that.**

**It only makes sense things are revealed in the Ninth chapter right? Hehe. **

Chapter 9: How

The darkness didn't stay for too long. Nine couldn't figure out what had been injected into her, she was guessing a light sedative because she was thrashing so hard before and now it had lessoned. She couldn't figure out why her body had been jerking beyond her control, she just knew it was painful, especially with the chains still holding her tightly in place, she was thankful they now were coming to a slow.

She felt a heavy pressure lift itself from her head and realized that her eyes were indeed closed and she could finally open them. It was no surprise to Red that she was still sitting in the chair in the same empty room. She jumped out of fear when she saw the man was still sitting in the room, watching her.

"You should have just killed Naomi; it would have made everything much less complicated." Sid was nodding his head as if to assure Nine if she was doubting him.

"You're a terrible person."

"You killed hundreds of innocent people in a bombing in one of the most crowded cities, and killed a young lad in an airport. On the contrary, I'm doing the world a favor containing you."

"That wasn't my fault. You made me kill those people."

"Yes, I had control over you until you disobeyed me and spoke to your fucking girlfriend and triggered your fucking memory."

"Where is she? Where is Cook?"

"Not to worry, they are being taken very well taken care of. It's you who I need to keep an eye on."

"How…how did you get me to do it? I was normal, I never actually trained, and I'm not some fucking super agent. I thought… It was all a lie…" Nine's mind was flashing to all the gunshots and watching as all those people fell dead through her read tinted glasses. She winced as the blonde lady's face hit the desk, the blood leaking all over.

"It's all a part of the program Emily, you and Cook are the first, I just have to figure out how exactly to avoid silly triggers like yours getting in the way."

"What fucking program?" Another pain surged through Emily, her body shook hard as another memory came out of the darkness and returned to her.

…

…

_I was running up the escalator, I was too anxious to allow it to take me up on its own, I needed to go faster. It wasn't long before I was standing in front of a large brown door and straightening myself out before I knocked. *Knock.* The door opened before I got a second chance to knock or the chance to turn around and run away._

"_Hello Emily and…?" He was looking past me. I almost forgot about the person who was following me._

"_Cook." The boy pushed past me, slightly protective over me. Sure he was up for anything crazy but he was still skeptical of what was about to happen to us._

"_I see. What can I do for you Cook?" Sid was standing with the door open just a little bit, not allowing us to see inside yet._

"_I want the same thing as Emily." He was confident and stern._

"_You want to forget?"_

"_Yes."_

"_What do you want to forget?"_

_Cook stood there silent, he didn't like sharing his problems with other people, if he could do this without having to share anything he would try._

"_You need to tell me so I don't make you forget anything you want to remember."_

"_My life is shit. I want a new life. My mum kicked me out. I'm a bad influence on my little brother. My friends Freddie and JJ hate me. And the girl I love doesn't really love me back. Just make me forget everything."_

"_Are you both sure you want to do this?" Sid raised his eyebrow, his beanie raised along with it. Skepticism._

"_Yes." Both of us were going to do this. It was comforting to know that Cook was doing this with me. I was feeling so alone now that Naomi had torn us apart, but Cook was going to help me stay not frightened of how I was about to make everything better for myself._

"_Alright, take a seat." He opened the door and waved to a leather couch. The inside looked like a normal loft however there were a few metal doors in the hallway that looked a bit dodgy. "Emily, I'll take care of you first, follow me." I gave one last look at Cook who nodded, sending a wave of confidence through me. I hardly hesitated as he opened one of the doors and took us inside, shutting it behind us._

_The room was all white, empty aside from a chair that was reclining a bit in the center of the room. _

"_Take a seat Emily."_

_I listened to him, and fidgeted trying to get comfortable, finally settling down. It was making me uncomfortable that he was standing while I was sitting down. _

"_How do you um, do it?"_

"_Well first I inject you with a sedative, and then I do a small operation. I'm going to spare you the details, because if you actually want to go through with this, knowing exactly what I do will completely change your mind."_

"_I don't know if I trust you." Honesty._

"_How badly do you want to forget?" _

_I remembered the book that told me the truth instead of Naomi telling me herself. I remembered the standing on the ledge of the building willing so hard for everything to go away._

"_Ok. Do it." My voice was small, there was no way to hide that I was scared. I was hurting too much to care how I was going to forget, I just needed it to happen. The sooner it happened, the better._

_He pulled out a needle that I'd be lying if I didn't say it scared the shit out of me. He told me to relax as he took my arm and slowly injected the liquid. It wasn't long before my mind faded to black. When the light came back, I screamed. The first thing I noticed was that I was now chained to a chair. Then slowly I remembered there was supposed to be an operation. I realized something was wrong, I was awake and I still remembered everything I wanted to forget. This isn't what was supposed to happen. I shouted 'Cook' at the top of my lungs, the only answer I got was when Sid came back into the room._

"_Relax Emily. The operation is going to be starting in a minute." He was pulling a trolley behind him until it was next to me. My eyes went wide, and my breath got stuck inside my throat when I saw what was on it. "This is going to be painful Emily. But remember why you came here. Remember that you __**want **__this."_

"_I don't want this." I started trying to pull at the chains but it was no use. "Please, let me go. I don't want to forget like this. This isn't how I want to do it." I shouted Cook's name a few times. Still no answer. "Where is Cook?" _

"_He's in the other room; my assistant will be doing the operation on him at the same time."_

"_No, please. Just let me leave."_

"_I can't Emily. I know how bad you want this. I'm doing this for your own good." Sid started picking up a small metal piece connected to a wire. I tried to shake away when he attached it to the back of my head. My tears were freely streaming down my face even though the pain hadn't started yet. "I'm going to start in a minute Emily."_

"_Please, please don't."_

"_The piece I just attached to you is right above the limbic system of your brain, specifically the hippocampus, which is primarily responsible for memory. The shocks will slowly reduce your ability to remember and cause just enough damage to make them all go away, probably for good. I'm going to start now Emily. I'm going to make your broken heart all better."_

"_Please, it's not that bad, really. I'll move on." I was whispering._

"_I need you Emily; I need you to do this for me." _

_*ZZZT* Emily's body started shaking against the chains. She couldn't think, her head was burning. There was no train of thought passing through her mind. All her nerves were on full volume blasting the pain. As each numerous shock crashed through her body she just felt it. She was screaming, until she had no control over her voice anymore. She couldn't move her limbs between shocks, they just trembled of their own will. She can't remember how long it lasted, how long each volt that passed through her was, but she knew it hurt. _

_I opened my eyes. My body was in immense pain, but I was too numb to move anything. My body was shaking lightly and I couldn't make it stop. As a result my vision was bouncing and I couldn't see anything clearly. I just tried to breath, which was a hard task in itself. I felt a heavy pressure pressing on me as my head was tilted to the side. There was a man in front of me. I had no idea who he was but he was talking to me, and waving his hand in front of my eyes._

"_Nine. Wake up. Nine." _

"_Who's Nine?" I asked._

"_You are."_

..

..

Emily's body was once again thrashing and she could see that Sid was reaching out to give her the sedative again. However as much pain as she was in, she didn't want the sedative in her anymore, she was sick of darkness she wanted to remember everything, no matter how much it hurt. She couldn't bear to allow that sedative to be put into her, the very same one that ended up leaving her chained to the chair the first time, the first time of the torturous electrocution.

"Don't. I don't want it."

"You must be in a lot of pain. Are you sure?"

"Yes, please just let me go."

"I believe we've been through this before Emily. Silly me, you probably don't remember…" He let out an evil laugh. "I need you Emily; I can't just let you return to your normal life, not after what I know you can do for me."

"NO. I won't. I won't do anything for you anymore. You're sick. A very SICK person." Emily was trying her hardest to give him her full attention and stay harsh in tone, but her voice got higher and muffled when she whined in the strong pain in her head.

"What's… wrong with me?" She cried when the shaking and jerking got stronger, she was sure the chains were cutting into her skin the way her body was trying to pull away from them.

"It's the remembering, a sensory reflect that's reacting beyond your control. Your body remembers the shock it went through the first time, and by actually remembering it remembers all the pain that went through it to get rid of it, and right now that everything is returning to you, it's experiencing the same thing it went through to make them go away. Complicated thing, the human body is. When you can manipulate it, you can be very powerful." He chuckled to himself; she so badly wanted to rip away and kick him hard to the floor. Or at least make him feel at least an ounce of what she was feeling.

She tried hard to think about everything he was saying to her. Maybe there was something that could help her in the situation. Emily remembered what Naomi had said earlier, whether it was today or yesterday or a week ago, she had no concept of time in the room she was stuck in. Words are more powerful than actions, that's what Naomi said to her, to Cook really, but it still meant something.

"What do you mean you need me?" Emily choked out.

"Ah. Trying to put the pieces together? You see Emily; you walked right into my arms that day by the bench. I too was going through a very difficult time, and you've helped make everything right in the world for me. Rather, you _are _helping make everything right."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You've been doing things for me that I couldn't possibly go out and do. Not to mention I have a warrant out for my arrest. It made things easier to have little people like you and Cook to take care of all my business."

"Why Freddie, why those people from that company? Why Naomi?"

"Hmm." He paused a minute in thought before deciding to continue. "I guess I can tell you because you won't be remembering anything for very long."

Nine understood what he meant, he was probably going to make her forget all over again. He'd just do the torturous operation to her once more, it's not like he had anything to lose. She was deathly afraid of the electrocuting and was going to do anything to avoid it. She listened carefully when he started to tell her his reasoning.

"Love and Peace is one of the largest organizations that are fighting for the disgraceful gay community. For a long time I've been trying to work something out to get rid of them but I didn't have the means to do so, until I met you. When you mentioned your girlfriend, you seemed to be the perfect person to fulfill my maniacal plan. Yes I admit, it's rather crazy and it was a bit chancy but it worked didn't it? So I recruited you, and was more than happy to have your friend tag along, considering he was strong looking and could help make sure you got the job done."

"What do you have against _them_?"

"They are terrible and ruin everything and they don't belong in this world."

"I'm gay too, why didn't you just kill me?"

"Because I had sympathy for you. By helping you I was already helping myself. The girl I loved told me she loved me back, like you said yours had. And then when I realized I was ready for her and I to be together, she ran away and fell in love with another girl. Cassie was her name; she works for the Love and Peace organization in Scotland. You were going to help me get rid of the organization piece by piece. Naomi happened to be in charge of the one in New York, the central headquarters of theirs, and so I was going to have you absentmindedly get your revenge on her. But something triggered in you, I haven't figured out what to make you change your motives. Perhaps you still have feelings for her deep in that brain of yours."

"You can't have done this all on your own. You're too stupid." Emily was trying to make him angry, to try and get him to talk more because he looked as if he intended to stop.

"I'm not stupid." He hit her over the head, bringing the throbbing back to her attention. "Although I did have help. Michelle, a different friend of mine, I thought I loved her at first but we were just meant to be friends. She loved someone else, Tony. And you know what Tony did? He broke her heart same way as mine. He went down on a boy named Maxxie right in front of her. Thought she was sleeping. She hated them both so much after that. We both had an increasing anger for you gays. She harassed Maxxie everyday with my help calling him a man-slut and boyfriend-stealer. It worked, one day we found out he had kicked the bucket, offed himself before we had to do anything to get our revenge. It wasn't enough for Michelle though, she couldn't be happy unless Tony was taken care of as well. Which also is why I have a warrant right now. It was right before my senior year, Anwar was throwing a party, while everyone thought I was out looking for Cassie."

Emily's mild jolted when he said Anwar. She remembered the lanky cab driver in the city who took them to the hotel from the airport. Maybe _he _could help her make some of this make sense. She stopped planning ahead so she could listen closely to the rest of Sid's monologue.

"Instead I was in a public transportation company car lot messing with the brakes on a city bus. Someone saw me which is why there is a warrant out for me. But you know what that bus did? It hit Tony and now he's stuck in the mental home for the rest of his life. Traumatic brain injuries don't just go away. So once Michelle found out, she came to me and told me that somehow she still wasn't happy. I told her I wasn't satisfied either, and that is why we are both using you. That is why we need you and Cook to carry out the rest of the job. Happiness isn't easy to come by and you are our easiest chance to get some. Once the gays are gone everyone will be able to be happy."

"You're a terrible person. That's why she left you. I can see why anyone would want to be gay because of you." Emily was seething with anger. She couldn't fathom how someone could do such terrible things. And he was getting away with it too, using her to get things accomplished against her own will. It was human cruelty and he didn't give a shit because he was starving for happiness. But happiness never comes out of something so dark and deathly. This was sheer madness and horrifying.

Sid's face turned red with rage, he wasn't going to be spoken to like that. He was the powerful one; he was the one who was brilliant and taking control of everything. He was the one who everyone was going to be begging for mercy when he sent them all to their deaths. Even if it was Emily who was pulling the trigger, it was him who was telling her to do it.

He took out the sedative and injected it into her arm despite her cries and trying to shake away. He needed silence and to cool down after talking so much. He had never told Emily that much before, he was absolutely positive he would have to give her the treatment again after that revealing discussion. The treatment or kill her. Sid walked out of the room to consult the only other girl who was on the same page as him, Michelle.

**SO, I don't really love how it's all kind of turned out, I mean yes it was always going to be kind of like that, but I suppose I just wanted it to be better. Anyhow what did you think of the reasons that it was Michelle and Sid? I thought it made brilliant sense. I love tying the actual story line and twisting it to fit in my own. Just makes everything like wow.**

**If you have time, I'd really appreciate a review, thank you so much for reading, even if I think it's a load of rubbish.**

**-Shira**

**PS. Don't worry Naomi and Cook will be returning to the story shortly. Probably next chapter. Incase the Sid/Emily is starting to get on your nerves.**

**(And wow, an update or 2 everyday so far… I wasn't originally going to today, just got bored.)**


End file.
